UiLDU 


J8  o  «  «  §    *  »f|  P,gH»      ^<u^-2a'5:5^S*SPa,^Q<5>g^g 

^5^gS|Es  -sjig^ifi  i3jlih1|ii«?«||il 
Vrf1!'!*!  !lilsaiKi  **!l1i«l:«Hiiiiia 


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PAUL    DU    CHAILI.U 


DU  CHAILLU'S 

EQUATORIAL  AFRICA. 


EXPLORATIONS  AND  ADVENTURES  IN  EQUA- 
TORIAL AFRICA :  with  Accounts  of  the  Manners 
and  Customs  of  the  People,  and  of  the  Chase  of  the 
Gorilla,  the  Crocodile,  Leopard,  Elephant,  Hippopota- 
mus, and  other  Animals.  By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU, 
Author  of  "  Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country,"  "Wild  Life 
under  the  Equator,"  &c.  With  numerous  Illustrations. 
8vo,  Cloth,  $5  oo. 

"  The  notes  and  descriptions  of  a  man  of  uncommon  nerve  and  daring.  They 
trace  the  course  of  a  traveller  who,  forsaking  all  beaten  tracks,  plunged  into  the 
wilds  of  a  country  where  no  white  man  appears  to  have  preceded  him,  and  who 
brings  before  us  tribes  marked  by  hideous  moral  degradation,  and  yet  of  not  un- 
hopeful prospects ;  while  as  a  hunter,  sportsman,  and  naturalist,  he  has  tales  to 
tell  which  make  the  ears  of  all' who  hear  to  tingle." — London  Review. 

"  Strikingly  attractive  and  wonderful  as  are  his  descriptions,  they  all  carry  in 
themselves  an  impress  of  substantial  trathfulness." — Sir  Roderick  Mwchison. 

"  In  this  large  volume  we  have  not  found  one  page  which  we  were  inclined  to 
skip.  We  can  not  too  strongly  express  our  admiration  of  the  undaunted  pluck 
and  resolution  which  carried  him  to  the  point  actually  accomplished.  He  per- 
formed the  whole  distance,  eight  thousand  miles,  on  foot,  and  the  amount  of  fever 
he  went  through  may  be  judged  of  by  the  fact  that  he  consumed  in  four  years 
fourteen  ounces  of  quinine." — London  Spectator. 

"  Its.  literary  merits  are  considerable,  for  it  is  clear,  lively,  and  judiciously 
pruned  of  unimportant  details.  His  explorations  were  in  no  degree  exempt  from 
the  hardships  and  dangers  which  are  the  condition  of  African  travel.  He  sojourned 
among  cannibals,  panthers,  crocodiles,  and  snakes — underwent  fifty  attacks  of  the 
fever — walked  several  hundred  miles  on  foot,  and  was  constantly  in  a  condition 
so  nearly  bordering  on  starvation  that  he  was  sometimes,  for  days  together,  with- 
out any  other  food  than  roots  and  berries." — London  Saturday  Review. 

"  We  must  go  back  to  the  voyages  of  La  Perouse  and  Captain  Cook,  and  almost 
to  the  days  of  wonder  which  followed  the  track  of  Columbus,  for  novelties  of  equal 
significance  to  the  age  of  their  discovery.  Du  Chaillu  struck  into  the  very  spine 
of  Africa,  and  lifted  the  veil  of  the  torrid  zone  from  its  western  rivers,  swamps,  and 
forests.  He  found  therein  a  variety  of  new  types  of  living  creatures,  and  others 
which  were  only  partially  and  imperfectly  known.  He  sojourned  among  tribes  or 
races  who  feed  on  their  kind,  and  he  encountered  the  animal  more  formidable 
than  any  yet  heard  of." — London  Times. 

"  He  has  contrived  to  render  his  name  forever  memorable  in  the  annals  of  geo- 
graphical discovery.  He  traveled  on  foot,  unattended  by  any  other  white  man, 
eight  thousand  miles,  secured  two  thousand  birds,  and  killed  upward  of  two  thou- 
sand quadrupeds." — London  Morning  Post. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 

J^p°  Sent  by  mail,  postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  $5  °°- 


DU  CHAILLU'S 
GrORILLA  COUNTRY. 


STORIES  OF  THE  GORILLA  COUNTRY:  Nar- 
rated for  Young  People.  By  PAUL  B.  Du  CHAILLU, 
Author  of  "  Discoveries  in  Equatorial  Africa,"  "  Wild 
Life  under  the  Equator,"  &c.  Profusely  Illustrated, 
izmo,  Cloth,  $i  75. 


"  The  stories  it  contains  are  full  of  the  kind  of  novelty,  peril,  and  adventure 
which  are  so  fascinating  -to  children It  is  a  capital  book  for  boys." — Lon- 
don Spectator. 

"  Exceedingly  interesting — as  much  so  as  even  '  Robinson  Crusoe '  ever  was — 
not  only  to  young  people  on  account  of  its  striking  novelty  and  charming  and  nat- 
ural style,  but  to  the  aged  and  learned  as  well." — New  York  Herald. 

"  These  stories  are  entertaining,  and  are  well  told,  and  they  are  calculated  to 
impart  much  knowledge  of  natural  history  to  youthful  readers." — Boston  Trav- 
eller. 

"  M.  Du  Chaillu  tells  his  stories  in  a  '  once-upon-a-time '  way,  with  a  personal 
zest  which  is  quite  captivating." — Hartford  Press. 

"  Almost  a  rival  of '  Robinson  Crusoe '  for  intense  interest,  while  it  has  this  ad- 
vantage over  that  work,  that  it  is  a  narrative  of  facts." — Sunday-School  Times. 

"  It  is  a  book  for  young  people — true,  every  line  of  it,  but  full  of  action,  adven- 
ture, enterprise,  and  peril,  and  as  exciting  as  a  well-told  fairy  tale." — Philadelphia 
Press. 

"DuChaillu's  stories  of  the  cannibals,  and  of  his  adventures  in  the  vast  forests 
of  Africa,  and  among  the  wild  beasts  and  men  no  less  wild,  are  told  in  a  pictur- 
esque, vivacious  style." — New  York  Times. 

"  Fresh,  original  narratives  related  in  a  style  of  incomparable  naivete,  and  with 
a  delightful  confiding  tone  that  must  find  its  way  to  the  heart  of  every  juvenile 
lover  of  the  marvels  of  nature."— New  York  Tribune. 

"  Full  of  rare  adventure,  and  probably  what  is  better,  of  truth. " — Zion's  Herald. 

"Too  strange,  as  well  as  too  life-like,  not  to  be  true."— Christian  Advocate. 


PUBLISHED  BY  HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  NEW  YORK. 

ROT*  Sent  by  mqil,  postage  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  $i  75. 


A  Link  with  Livingstone 

MATTHEW  WELLINGTON,  the  faithful  African  who 
helped  to  carry  David  Livingstone's  body  to  the  coast 
over  sixty  years  ago,  died  recently  at  Mombasa  at  the  age 
of  92.  The  CHRISTIAN  WORLD  says  that  his  last  years  were 
spent  in  comfort,  owing  to  help  that  came  from  England  ten 
years  ago  when  a  former  Church  Missionary  Society  missionary 
found  him  living  in  poverty  and  made  an  appeal  in  his  behalf. 
Later  the  Kenya  Government  which  he  had  served  for  23  years 
granted  him  a  small  pension.  The  story  of  how  Wellington 
and  his  companions  made  the  long  march  of  devotion,  through 
perils  and  hardships,  is  one  of  the  unwritten  epics  of  human 
history.  Sometime  a  poet  may  arise  to  do  it  justice. 


GREAT  BRIDGE  IN  WEST  AFRICA 
BUILT  WITH  THE  AID  OF  NATIVES 


TTUNDF.EPS  of  natives  belonging 
J_  to  one  of  the  most  primitive  of 
African  tribes— the  Munshi,  an 


Holidays  have  not  concerned  them, 
and  as  the  bridge  has  taken  shape 
they  have  increased  their  labors. 


offshoot  of  the  Zulu-have  helped  in   Great  will  their  reward  be,  however, 
he  building  of  the  new  Benue  River    for    no    longer    will    this    crocodile- 
bridge,   the   longest   in   West   Africa  j  infested     river—  the     Niger's     largest 
,nd  one  of  the  longest  on  the  whole    tributary—  be    feared    by    the    simple 
(of  the  African  continent,  which  will  !  P«ople  who  inhabit  its  banks. 
be  opened  in  June.  j     Located    290    miles    inland    on    the 

'    In    the    construction    of    this    "ju-    eastern  division  of  the  Nigerian  Rail- 
;ju   bridge,"   as   they  term   it,   which    way'    the   bridge   comprises   thirteen 
will  have  cost  nearly  $5,000  000   these  !  Steel   Spa"S'   with  a  total   lengtn  be' 
black    laborers    have    toiled    eagerly    ^.  a^ments  of  2,584  feet. 
and  interestedly  at  riveting,    crane-      En^ineei;s  hav«  taken  nearly  four 
dnvin  g,  e_g  under  compressed  I  ^  £1^0^ 
an-  and  carrying  hand-pans  of  earth...  -The    White    Man,g    Q          ,. 
Previously  they  had  worked  almost   maiaria    takes    its    toll    and    floods, 


oily  on  their  yam  patches  or  in 
fiahine  the  waters  of  the  Benue. 


flies,    mosquitos  and  excessive  tem- 
peratures  are  common  hazards. 


WILD   LIFE 


UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 


NARRATED  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY  PAUL  DU  CHAILLU, 


MJTHOR  OF 


'DISCOVERIES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA,"  "STORIES  OF  THE 
GORILLA  COUNTRY,"  ETC. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS. 


NEW     YORK: 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN     SQUARE. 
1869. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York,  , 


CONTENTS. 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER Page  13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Parrot  Island. — How  the  Parrots  build  their  Nests. — Parrot  Soup 15 

CHAPTER  III. 

An  African  Creek. —  A  Leopard  among  the  Chickens. —  A  night 
Watch  for  Leopards 25 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Hunting  Elephants  and  Buffaloes.  —  A  venomous  Serpent. —  A  Snake- 
charmer. — He  is  bitten. — He  commits  Suicide 34 

CHAPTER  V. 

At  Court  in  Africa. —  Costumes  of  the  Court. —  An  African  House- 
hold.—A  false  Alarm 44 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Hunt  for  Gorillas. —  A  large  one  shot. —  The  Negroes  make  Charms 
of  his  Brain. — Mourning  in  a  Bakalai  Town 50 


CHAPTER  VII. 

An  African  Fireside.—  A  Camp  by  the  Sea-shore.—  The  first  Gorilla 
Hunter.  —  Negro  Blarney 61 


2051G20 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Hippopotamus  hunting.— We  kill  one.— The  Men  eat  it.— Poor 
Beef.— What  the  Tusks  are  for Page  69 

CHAPTER  IX. 
A  great  Gorilla 75 

CHAPTER  X. 

Death  in  an  African  Village. —  Lamentations. —  The  Funeral  Cere- 
monies.—  An  African  Cemetery 82 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  Tornado.— Before  the  Storm.— Thunder  and  Lightning.— After 
the  Storm 87 

CHAPTER  XII. 
A  Creek  infested  by  Snakes.— Snake  in  the  Boat.— An  ugly  Visitor...  93 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Drinking  the  Mboundou. — How  Olanga-Condo  could  do  it. — How 
the  Mboundou  is  made.— The  Effect  of  the  Poison 101 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  royal  Feast. — On  the  Banks  of  the  Ovenga. — Preparations. — The 
Bill  of  Fare.— A  taste  of  Elephant  and  a  mouthful  of  Monkey 108 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  terrible  Bashikouay.  —  March  of  an  ant  Army.  —  They  build 
Bridges.— They  enter  Houses.— Their  Habits 114 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Sorrows  of  the  Birds.— Curious  African  Birds.— The  Barbatula 
du  Chaillui.— The  Barbatula  Fuliginosa.— The  Sycobius  Ni- 
gerrimns ..  125 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

On  the  Ofoubou  River. — Elephants  bathing. — Pursuit  through  the 
Swamp. —  Escape  of  the  Elephants Page  138 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Njali-Coudie'.— An  African  Town.— The  Chief.— Courtship  and  Mar- 
riage in  Africa.— Buying  a  Wife.— Quarrel  over  the  Spoils 145 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Feast  of  Njambai.— The  talking  Idol.— Secret  Proceedings.— 
The  Women  and  their  Mysteries 150 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Sick  in  a  strange  Land. — Adventure  with  a  Snake. — How  a  Squirrel 
was  charmed 157 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Witchcraft. -^-Accusation  of  Pende.— Result  of  his  Trial 163 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Gorilla  hunting.— Preparations.— We  kill  a  male  Gorilla.— Bringing 
him  to  Camp .'169 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

In  the  Buffalo  Country.— The  Paradise  of  Flies.— The  various 
Species 177 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Elephant  Pits.— A  Captive.  —  Dividing  the  Meat.— The  Alethe 
Castanea 183 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

A  deserted  Village.— Fear  of  Death.— Wars  between  Villages.— 
African  wild  Boar. — The  Hunt v 189 

A  2 


y  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

In  the  wild  Forest.— Hostile  Tribes.— An  intrenched  Camp.— Forays 
for  Provisions Page  197 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

We   discover  human  Foot-prints. — We  spy  out  the  Enemy. — A 
female  Gorilla.— Maternal  Fondness 208 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

How  we  were  received  at  Camp.— Threatened  with  Starvation.— A 
Night  in  Camp. — Malaouen's  Story 215 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

UNDER  WAT  IN  AFRICA Frontispiece. 

P-ARROT  ISLAND 21 

AN  AFRICAN  WAR  DANCE 27 

ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  LEOPARD 30 

LYING  Low  FOR  ELEPHANTS 35 

THE  SNAKE  CHARMER 41 

APPEARANCE  OF  THE  KING  AND  HIS  COURT 45 

FIERCE  ATTACK  OF  A  GORILLA 55 

EVENING  AMUSEMENTS  IN  AFRICA 63 

HUNTING  HIPPOPOTAMI 71 

HEAD  OF  HIPPOPOTAMUS 74 

FOOT-PRINTS  OF  THE  GORILLA 76 

FEMALE  GORILLA  AND  HER  YOUNG 79 

MOURNING  THE  DEAD 84 

A  NIGHT  STORM  IN  AFRICA 89 

IN  THE  CREEK  OF  SNAKES 95 

DRINKING  THE  MBOUNDOU.. 103 

MARCH  OF  BASHIKOUAT  ANTS 119 

THE  BASHIKOUAY  ANT,  MAGNIFIED  TO  TWICE  ITS  NATURAL  SIZE  123 

THE  BARBATULA  WORKING 131 

AFRICAN  HANGING  BIRDS'-NESTS 133 

HUNTING  ELEPHANTS 143 

INTERIOR  OF  THE  NJAMBAI-HOUSE 154 

CHARMING  THE  SQUIRREL 161 

THE  TRIAL  OF  PENDE" 165 

DEATH  OF  A  MALE  GORILLA 173 

DANCING  AROUND  THE  ELEPHANT  MEAT ...  186 


xii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGIt 

KILLING  FOUR  WILD  BOARS 195 

SMOKING  OUT  THE  BEES 204 

TRAPPING  THE  MONKEY 206 

WE  DISCOVER  FOOT-PRINTS 209 

ARRIVAL  AT  THE  STOCKADE 217 

GOOD-BYE  TO  THE  BAKALAIS —  ...  227 


PEELIMINAKY  CHAPTER 

DEAE  young  folks ! — In  the  book  I  wrote  for  you  last 
year; -called  "Stories  of  the  Gorilla  country,"  I  said  to 
you  "  au  revoir:"  that  means  good-bye  till  I  come  again. 

I  have  come  again  to  my  publishers,  who  are  also  my 
good  friends,  and  who  have  let  me  have  my  own  way 
about  the  illustrations  of  this  book ;  they  have  told  me 
that  you  were  pleased  with  the  last  book.  Not  only 
have  they  told  me  so,  but  many  of  you  have  said  the 
same  thing  to  me. 

This  was  good  news,  for  I  delight  to  tell  stories  to 
young  folks,  and  "Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country"  being 
the  first  book  I  ever  wrote  for  you,  I  was  delighted  to 
hear  of  its  success. 

I  felt  quite  happy  when  I  learned  that  I  had  been 
able  to  interest  you  in  what  interested  me,  while  travel- 
ling in  far-distant  countries. 

I  have  taken  my  pen  once  more.  I  am  going  to  lead 
you  into  the  great  forest  of  Equatorial  Africa.  I  am 


14  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

going  to  try  to  make  you  travel  with  me  in  the  wild 
country  I  have  explored.  I  am  going  to  bring  you  face 
to  face  with  the  gorilla,  and  lead  you  into  the  midst  of 
the  wild  tribes  of  men  I  have  discovered.  I  will  tell  you 
how  they  live,  what  queer  superstitions  they  have,  and 
what  sort  of  people  these  poor  savages  are. 

I  shall  tell  you  about  snakes,  leopards,  elephants,  hip- 
popotami, and  other  wild  beasts  of  the  forest.  About  in- 
sects, wonderful  ants,  and  many  other  curious  things. 

You  will  follow  me  in  that  great  jungle ;  you  will  get 
lost  in  it ;  you  will  build  your  camp  with  me,  and  you 
will  hunt  with  me ;  you  will  be  hungry  with  me ;  you 
will  have  the  flies  to  plague  you ;  you  will  have  lots  of 
adventures,  and  perhaps  when  you  close  this  book  you 
will  shout,  "What  a  glorious  time  we  have  had  with 
our  friend  Paul !"  I  hope  you  will  not  only  be  amused, 
but  that  you  will  be  also  instructed. 

I  have  written  two  large  volumes — "Explorations  in" 
Equatorial  Africa"  and  "Journey  to  Ashango  Land" — 
for  older  people  than  yourselves,  and  I  do  not  see  why  I 
should  not  write  for  young  folks.  Now  let  me  lead  you 
into  that  land  of  wonders,  where  no  civilized  man  had 
ever  trodden  before  me. 

• 


CHAPTER  II. 

PARROT  ISLAND. — HOW  THE'  PARROTS  BUILD  THEIR  NESTS. — 
PARROT   SOUP. 

THERE  is  an  Island  by  the  sea,  in  a  far  country,  called 
Nengue  Ngozo. 

I  shall  always  remember  that  Island ;  for  when  I  went 
there  I  was  young  and  wild — as  wild  as  the  waves  of 
that  sea.  I  had  no  mother  to  care  for  me ;  I  had  no 
sister  to  love  me  when  I  came  to  this  Island.  The  wide 
world  was  before  me.  But  I  loved  to  roam  in  wild  and 
distant  countries;  I  loved  to  look  upon  and  study  the 
men,  the  beasts,  the  birds,  the  fishes,  the  insects,  and  the 
trees.  I  had  no  one  with  me,  but  God  was  kind  to  me, 
and  took  care  of  me,  and  he  has  now  brought  me  back 
safely,  so  that  I  might  tell  you  all  I  have  seen. 

On  Nengue  Ngozo  there  was  a  little  village.  That 
village  had  a  King,  who  instead  of  a  crown  wore  a  woolen 
cap,  and  for  a  sceptre  he  had  a  cane. 

Indeed,  the  Island  of  Nengue  Ngozo,  which  means 
Parrot  Island,  is  a  little  kingdom  of  itself.  It  is  covered 
with  forest,  and  is  situated  in  the  estuary  called  the  Ga- 
boon, formed  in  the  bight  of  Guinea,  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa,  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  north  of  the 
equator,  and  a  few  miles  from  the  sea.  Not  far  from  it 
there  is  another  Island  called  Konikey.  (Both  of  these 


16  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

islands  are  marked  in  the  map  published  in  my  work 
called  "  Explorations  in  Equatorial  Africa.") 

One  part  of  Nengue  Ngozo  is  tolerably  high,  the  other 
part  is  low  and  swampy.  It  is  covered  with  a  great  for- 
est ;  some  of  the  trees  are  very  large  and  tall,  and  the 
foliage  of  the  palm-trees  is  very  beautiful. 

The  Island  is  but  a  few  miles  in  circumference. 

The  people  of  this  Island  are  safe  from  wild  beasts,  as 
there  are  no  leopards  to  carry  them  away  or  kill  their 
goats,  no  elephants  to  destroy  their  plantations,  and  no 
gorillas  to  roam  about  and  frighten  them.  The  cries  of 
the  chimpanzee  are  not  heard,  the  wild  buffalo  is  not  to 
be  seen,  the  graceful  antelopes  and  gazelles  are  unknown, 
and  the  chatter  of  monkeys  does  not  fall  upon  the  ear 
of  the  people  or  resound  strangely  in  the  woods.  But 
all  these  roam  at  leisure  on  the  main-land,  where  the 
villages  of  the  warlike  Shekiani  and  Bakalai  people  are 
scattered  over  the  great,  wild  forest. 

As  I  looked  upon  the  water  I  could  see  the  majestic 
pelican  chasing  the  fishes,  and  the  gulls  flying  in  great 
numbers  through  the  air,  their  shrill  cries  sounding 
strangely  in  the  midst  of  the  grand  solitude  by  which  I 
was  surrounded. 

Cranes  and  other  birds  were  walking  to  and  fr<f  on 
the  beach  in  search  of  their  food.  How  quiet,  silent  and 
sly  they  were  as  they  stepped  from  place  to  place  look- 
ing for  their  prey ;  and,  when  they  saw  it,  how  quickly 
their  long  beaks  dipped  into  the  water  to  seize  it ! 

It  was  a  very  warm  day  when  I  landed  on  Nengue 
Ngozo.  The  rays  of  the  sun  were  powerful,  and  there 
was  not  a  ripple  on  the  water.  It  was  so  hot  that  my 
men  had  not  even  strength  to  paddle.  Our  sail,  made 


SHARKS.  17 

of  natives'  mats,  flapped  against  the  mast  and  was  not 
of  the  slightest  use  except  to  fan  us.  Happily  the  tide 
carried  us  toward  the  Island.  I  had  an  umbrella  over 
my  head,  and  now  and  then  I  wetted  a  handkerchief 
which  was  in  my  hat  to  keep  my  head  cool.  I  felt  that 
I  was  as  red  as  a  boiled  lobster.  I  remember  well  how 
much  I  suffered  from  the  heat  that  day. 

Now  and  then  we  could  see  the  fins  of  sharks  as  they 
came  near  our  canoe,  and  a  shudder  went  through  us 
all,  for  we  knew  well  what  would  become  of  us  if  by 
some  misfortune  we  were  to  upset. 

A  few  days  before  a  fine  boy  had  been  devoured  by 
these  monsters.  The  sight  of  a  shark  when  I  am  in  a 
canoe  always  makes  me  shudder.  I  fear  a  shark  more 
than  I  do  snakes.  Which  is  saying  a  great  deal ! 

How  glad  I  was  when  I  landed  and  rested  myself  un- 
der the  shade  of  the  forest  which  grew  to  the  very  water's 
edge.  I  quenched  my  thirst  in  a  little  brook  which  rose 
in  the  interior  of  the  Island,  and  oh !  how  much  better  I 
felt  afterward.  I  had  to  drink  out  of  a  large  leaf  which 
I  folded  in  the  form  of  a  cornucopia. 

I  saw  on  the  sands  what  I  knew  to  be  the  foot-prints 
of  men  ;  we  followed  them  and  at  last  came  to  the  very 
small  village  of  which  I  have  spoken  to  you.  The  men 
with  me  were  Mpongwes,  and  belonged  to  the  same  tribe 
as  the  people  of  the  Island. 

The  King  and  his  people  at  first  stared  at  me,  but  a 
word  or  two  from  my  men  made  every  thing  right. 

The  luggage  was  landed  from  our  canoe,  the  canoe 
was  then  hauled  on  to  the  main-land  and  put  under  the 
shade  of  the  trees,  and  we  were  ready  to  rest,  for  we 
were  all  very  tired  and  I  felt  rather  feverish. 


18  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

The  wives  of  the  King  cooked  food  for  us,  and  in  the 
mean  time  huts  had  been  given  to  us  by  his  sable  Maj- 
esty. 

I  hardly  tasted  the  food  that  was  presented  to  me. 
After  my  sham  meal  I  fell  asleep,  and  when  I  awoke  the 
sun  had  set,  and  all  was  dark  and  silent.  I  felt  better, 
however,  and  came  out  of  my  hut ;  the  King  was  quietly 
smoking  his  pipe,  and  we  had  a  chat  together;  the 
Queen  came  forth  also ;  then  a  few  old  men  of  the  place, 
whom  we  may  call  the  gray-beards,  made  their  appearance. 

These  people  of  course  knew  what  the  sea  was,  knew 
that  the  vessels  sailed  upon  it  to  come  to  their  country ; 
but  they  asked  me  many  questions  about  the  white  man's 
country.  For  instance  : — 

Had  we  men  with  only  one  eye  in  the  middle  of  the 
forehead  ? 

Did  our  babies  feed  on  milk  ?  They  had  heard  they 
fed  on  spirits. 

Of  what  material  were  our  houses?  Were  they 
built  with  the  bark  of  trees  ?  And  many  other  appar- 
ently foolish  questions. 

When  I  told  them  that  we  had  no  people  with  one 
eye  in  the  middle  of  their  foreheads  they  did  not  believe 
me.  They  had  never  seen  any  white  man  manufactur- 
ing before  them  the  goods  we  brought,  therefore  they 
thought  another  species  of  men  must  make  them,  from 
whom  we  bought  them. 

At  last,  looking  at  my  watch,  I  saw  that  it  was  ten 
o'clock :  time  to  go  to  bed :  so  I  bade  good-night  to  the 
King  and  his  people  and  went  back  to  my  hut.  I  barri- 
caded myself;  slept  with  my  gun  by  my  side,  and  for 
my  pillow  laid  my  head  on  my  revolvers. 


THE  PAMROTS  COME.  19 

Toward  three  or  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was 
startled  by  a  tremendous  noise.  At  first,  just  waking  up, 
I  could  not  make  out  what  it  was ;  when  lo !  I  discover- 
ed it  was  made  by  parrots,  chattering  away  in  a  most 
jolly  and  discordant  manner.  I  had  never  heard  such  a 
noise  in  my  life  before.  The  Island  must  have  been  full 
of  them.  I  tried  in  vain  to  sleep — turned  myself  one 
way,  then  the  other,  but  it  was  of  no  avail ;  the  noise 
was  so  terrific  there  was  no  rest  for  me.  I  don't  think 
a  hundred  bells  tolling  together  could  have  made  more 
noise.  At  any  rate  as  they  went  on  I  wondered  if  they 
could  understand  each  other,  and  how  they  could  have 
come  to  the  Island.  .They  had  probably  arrived  while  I 
was  asleep,  just  before  sunset. 

Before  the  morning  twilight  came  I  was  out,  and  as 
soon  as  the  dawn  of  day  made  its  appearance,  flock  after 
flock  flew  from  the  trees  and  went  in  different  directions 
toward  the  main-land.  I  followed  them  as  far  as  my 
eyes  could  reach,  but  soon  lost  sight  of  them,  for  they 
were  going  far  away,  very  far  away.  They  were  in 
flocks,  and  each  flock  went  in  search  of  places  where  they 
knew  food  was  abundant.  They  went  off  by  tens,  by 
twenties,  and  by  hundreds  together. 

By  sunrise  not  a  parrot  was  to  be  seen  on  the  Island, 
and  I  could  only  hear  the  chatter  of  other  birds.  How 
silent  then  every  thing  seemed  ! 

During  the  day  I  went  to  the  top  of  the  hill  in  search 
of  land  shells,  and  after  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  parrots  began  to  arrive  again.  From  the  top  of  the 
hill  I  could  see  them  as  far  as  my  eyes  could  reach :  they 
were  coming  from  immense  distances.  They  continued 
pouring  in  and  pouring  in,  and  I  should  not  wonder  if 


20  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

some  had  come  from  thirty  or  forty  miles,  or  perhaps 
even  more.  They  came  and  they  came,  and  they  con- 
tinued coming,  even  after  the  sun  had  set,  and  two  flocks 
came  when  it  was  almost  dark.  These  had  probably 
come  from  far  away  and  had  miscalculated  the  time  their 
flight  would  take ;  or  perhaps  they  had  been  detained 
by  some  dainty  fruit  on  the  road.  At  any  rate  they 
came  very  late.  I  calculated  that  at  least  twenty  thou- 
sand parrots  had  arrived  on  the  Island,  although  there 
may  have  been  ode  hundred  thousand,  for  I  do  not  claim 
to  have  counted  them  all.  They  came  to  spend  the 
night  on  the  Island  of  Nengue  Ngozo,  and  I  now  ceased 
to  wonder  at  the  strange  name  the  natives  had  given  to 
the  Island. 

These  gray  parrots  are  said  to  live  to  be  a  hundred 
years  old  and  even  more.  Some  years  ago  I  myself  knew 
a  sea-captain  in  New  York  by  the  name  of  Brown,  an 
old  trader  on  the  African  coast,  who  had  a  parrot  which 
he  had  kept  for  thirty  years.  I  wish  you  could  have 
heard  him  talk  and  sing  songs.  Captain  Brown  is  dead, 
and  I  know  not  where  his  widow  has  gone,  but  perhaps 
the  parrot  is  still  living.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
some  of  these  old  parrots  had  come  here  every  day,  per- 
haps, for  a  hundred  years. 

They  perched  by  hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands  on 
the  same  trees,  and  the  trees  on  which  they  perched 
showed  their  heads  far  above  those  of  the  other  trees. 
How  beautifully  their  gray  plumage  and  their  red  tails 
contrasted  with  the  green  leaves  from  the  midst  of  which 
they  appeared !  Some  of  the  old  ones  were  almost  white. 
When  old  their  feathers  seem  to  be  covered  with  a  white 
powder,  and  if  you  pass  your  hand  over  their  plumage 


HOW  PARROTS  BUILD  THEIR  NESTS. 


21 


this  powder  comes  off.  I  have  killed  wild  ones  perfect- 
ly splendid,  much  larger  and  handsomer  than  any  I  have 
seen  tame. 

I  wondered  why  these  parrots  had  chosen  this  Island 
as  their  bedroom.  Why  did  they  come  from  such  dis- 
tances every  day  when  there  were  so  many  tall  trees  in 
the  forest  on  the  main-land  ?  I  found  that  it  was  because 
they  were  safer  than  on  the  main-land ;  there  were  no 
genetta  (a  kind  of  wild  cat)  to  pounce  upon  them  and  dis- 
turb, or  rather  devour,  them  at  night. 


PAKBOT   ISLAND. 


Days  passed,  and  every  morning  and  every  evening  the 
parrots  went  away  and  the  parrots  came  back,  and  be- 
tween three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  began  their 
charming  noise ;  but  I  became  quite  accustomed  to  it  and 
did  not  mind  it  at  all  after  a  while.  I  noticed  also  that 


22  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

generally  the  same  number  that  started  together  in  the 
morning  came  back  together. 

These  parrots  must  certainly  be  endowed  with  a  very 
great  instinct  to  know  the  way  to  the  Island,  as  they  come 
from  great  distances,  and  from  every  direction. 

Not  only  do  they  come  to  the  Island  of  Nengue 
Ngozo  to  sleep,  but  in  the  month  of  February  and  the 
beginning  of  March  many  remain  and  have  their  nests  on 
the  Island.  They  all  would  have  had  their  nests,  I  am 
sure,  if  there  had  been  hollows  of  trees  enough  for  them. 

These  gray  parrots  do  not  build  a  regular  nest,  but 
choose  a  tree  where  there  is  a  deep  hollow  to  lay  their 
eggs  in.  The  nests  are  discovered  by  hearing  their 
young  calling  all  day  long  for  their  parents  to  feed  them. 
I  never  saw  more  than  two  young  ones  in  one  nest,  or 
hollow  of  a  tree,  and  very  funny  they  looked  when  cover- 
ed with  down  before  their  feathers  had  grown. 

What  awful  cries  they  utter  as  they  see  the  human 
hand  coming  through  the  darkness  ready  to  catch  hold 
of  them.  And  you  had  better  look  out  for  your  fingers, 
for  they  bite  terribly  hard,  I  assure  you,  as  I  know  by 
experience,  and  that  in  despite  of  their  being  very  young. 
There  were  days  when  I  hid  myself  near  a  tree  close  by 
the  place  where  they  came  to  sleep,  but  the  parrots  seem- 
ed to  know  it,  and  would  fly  round  and  round  it,  and 
then  go  away.  It  is  but  very  seldom  that  I  ever  was 
able  to  approach  parrots  when  they  were  perched  on  a 
tree  standing  by  itself:  they  would  fly  away  before  I 
could  come  within  gunshot  distance.  They  are  exceed- 
ingly shy. 

When  they  approach  their  nests  they  always  corne 
in  the  most  silent  manner,  not  uttering  a  single  cry. 


PARROT  SOUP.  23 

For  a  while  after  they  have  taken  their  flight  the 
young  ones  will  follow  their  parents ;  after  a  while  the 
birds  of  the  same  age  flock  together.  A  young  gray  par- 
rot has  entirely  black  eyes.  Before  he  is  a  year  old  a 
change  takes  place :  a  ring  shows  itself  round  the  black, 
which  gradually  turns  yellow,  then  whitish-yellow.  In 
the  breeding  season  the  natives  capture  a  great  many 
young  ones  in  their  nests  before  they  can  fly  away. 

After  a  few  days  the  fowls  of  the  little  kingdom  of 
Nengue  Ngozo  became  scarce,  and  at  last  the  King  had 
no  more  to  give  me ;  so  I  said  to  myself,  Why  should 
not  I  kill  some  parrots  and  cook  them? 

One  morning  I  awoke  before  daylight.  Two  even- 
ings before  I  had  watched  a  tree  not  far  away  where  the 
parrots  were  roosting  in  great  numbers,  and  had  made  a 
path  leading  to  it.  When  I  went  by  that  path  it  was  pitch 
dark;  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  snakes,  but  at  last  I 
came  to  the  foot  of  the  tree.  It  was  just  before  day- 
break ;  the  birds  did  not  see  me,  but  they  seemed  to 
mistrust  something,  for,  though  I  had  come  very  noise- 
lessly, their  chatter  was  of  that  kind  which  showed  dis- 
tinctly that  they  were  disturbed. 

At  last  I  raised  my  gun  in  the  direction  of  what  I 
thought  the  midst  of  the  tree ;  then  I  touched  both  trig- 
gers, and,  bang  !  bang  !  I  let  go  both  barrels  at  the  same 
time.  The  gun  gave  an  awful  recoil  which  almost 
knocked  me  down,  and  I  heard  a  shower  of  parrots  fall- 
ing all  round  me ;  one  fell  right  on  the  top  of  my  head 
and  nearly  frightened  the  life  out  of  me,  for  I  fancied  a 
snake  had  just  tumbled  on  top  of  me,  or  that  a  bough  of 
the  tree  was  coming  down. 

What  a  terrific  noise  followed  my  two  shots  I    I  had 


•24  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

never  heard  any  thing  like  it.  They  fled  in  dismay, 
screaming  with  all  their  might ;  but  where  were  they  to 
go  ?  it  was  dark,  and  the  whole  population  of  parrots 
was  in  terrible  trouble.  The  next  evening  not  a  parrot 
came  upon  that  tree,  and  they  were  all  very  suspicious 
as  they  came  to  the  Island,  flying  round  and  round  the 
trees  before  they  roosted. 

When  daylight  came,  I  found  twenty  dead  parrots  on 
the  ground,  and  had  a  grand  feast.  I  had  parrot  soup, 
which  was  not  at  all  bad ;  roasted  parrot ;  and  grilled 
parrot.  The  old  parrots  were  very  tough,  but  the  young 
ones  were  excellent ;  their  flesh  was  black  and  resembled 
in  taste  that  of  the  pigeon. 

Now  I  have  told  you  all  I  know  about  Nengue  Ngozo. 
Nengue,  as  I  have  said  before,  means  an  Island,  and 
Ngozo,  parrot.  Should  any  one  of  you  ever  go  to  the 
Gaboon  country  he  will  find  the  Island,  and  he  will  see 
the  parrots — unless  the  natives  have  cut  down  all  the 
trees. 

In  that  part  of  Africa  there  are  only  two  kinds  of  par- 
rots :  the  gray  sort — which  is  very  abundant,  and  much 
handsomer  than  the  gray  one  found  near  Sierra  Leone, 
the  gray  being  of  a  lighter  color — and  the  green  one, 
which  is  very  rare. 

But  I  have  one  now  in  my  possession,  the  only  one 
I  have  ever  seen  which  is  extraordinary.  It  is  pink  and 
gray ;  that  is,  it  has  pink  and  gray  feathers,  and  is  a 
very  beautiful  bird,  the  rarest  that  was  ever  brought  to 
America  or  Europe,  and  probably  the  only  one  of  its 
kind  that  ever  existed,  for  it  is  not  a  distinct  species,  but 
a  freak  of  Nature. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AN  AFRICAN  CREEK. — A  LEOPARD  AMONG  THE  CHICKENS. — 
A  NIGHT  WATCH  FOR  LEOPARDS. 

Now  I  had  just  left  the  Island  of  Nengue  Ngozo, 
and  if  your  eyes  could  have  reached  that  part  of  the 
world,  you  might  have  seen  me  still  in  the  same  little 
canoe,  made  of  the  trunk  of  a  single  tree,  armed  to  the 
teeth,  making  for  the  Ikoi  Creek,  which  was  not  far  dis- 
tant. (This  creek  is  also  marked  on  my  large  map  pub- 
lished in  my  work  called  "Explorations  in  Equato- 
rial Africa.") 

The  canoe  was  going  swiftly  through  the  water,  the 
wind  was  good,  and  soon  after  our  departure  we  entered 
the  creek.  I  felt  anxious,  for  the  Bakalai  and  Shekiani 
villages  were  at  war  with  each  other — a  wild  and  treach- 
erous set  they  are — and  either  tribe  might  have  taken  my 
canoe  for  that  of  their  enemy,  and  so  pounced  upon  us  in 
great  numbers  and  killed  us  all  before  we  could  let  them 
know  that  we  were  strangers  belonging  to  the  Mpongwe 
tribe,  their  friends.  I  was  watching  continually  to  see 
if  there  were  not  some  canoes  in  ambush.  After  a  while 
the  creek  became  narrower,  the  breeze  ceased,  the  sail 
had  to  be  furled  along  the  mast,  the  men  took  to  the 
paddles,  and  our  canoe  glided  onward  upon  the  waters 
of  the  Ikoi. 

B 


26  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR 

The  sight  was  dismal  enough :  both  banks  were 
flanked  with  swampy  forests  of  mangrove ;  the  tide  was 
low,  and  a  prodigious  number  of  oysters  were  seen  on 
the  roots  of  the  mangrove-trees.  As  we  came  near 
them  I  took  an  axe  and  cut  some  of  the  roots,  which  were 
literally  covered  with  oysters.  We  lit  a  fire  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  canoe  and  roasted  these  oysters,  and  they 
were  excellent.  I  assure  you  it  was  quite  a  treat. 

Feeling  better  after  our  meal,  we  paddled  on  again. 
The  mangrove-trees  became  more  scarce,  and  at  last  we 
came  in  sight  of  a  village  of  Shekianis. 

As  soon  as  they  saw  us  they  met  in  great  numbers  on 
the  top  of  the  hill  where  the  village  stood,  and  I  could 
hear  their  wild  shouts  of  war.  As  we  approached  near- 
er their  excitement  increased ;  the  war-drums  beat,  and 
I  could  see  them  brandishing  their  spears.  My  men 
sang  songs  in  the  Mpongwe  language  to  show  that  we 
were  not  their  enemies. 

In  the  mean  time  I  did  not  feel  comfortable  at  all,  and 
really  thought  that  we  might  have  a  fight.  I  knew 
these  Shekiani  people  to  be  funny  fellows :  if  we  had 
gone  back,  a  dozen  canoes  armed  with  men  would  have 
been  after  us,  for  they  would  have  immediately  thought 
we  were  their  enemies.  So  we  pushed  on,  and  at  last 
came  opposite  the  village.  Here  we  had  to  stop  to  speak 
to  them,  and  finally  they  entreated  us  to  pass  the  night 
among  them,  the  chief  himself  coming  to  beg  us  to 
stay. 

As  it  was  nearly  night  I  concluded  that  it  would  be 
better  to  sleep  in  a  village  than  in  the  woods,  for  there 
we  might  have  been  attacked  unawares,  the  people  not 
knowing  who  we  were. 


SHEKIANI  VILLAGE.  29 

These  Shekianis  crowded  round  to  see  me,  and  at  every 
move  I  made  they  all  sent  up  wild  shouts  of  astonish- 
ment. 

They  were  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  had  the  air  of 
men  continually  on  the  lookout  for  a  fight. 

Night  soon  came,  and  I  went  into  the  hut  that  had 
been  given  to  me,  but  could  not  sleep,  for  all  the  villagers 
were  awake,  and  the  drums  were  beating  from  one  §nd 
of  the  village  to  the  other.  Songs  of  war  were  sung  by 
the  men,  women,  and  children  around  their  Mbuiti  (an 
enormous  wooden  idol,  which  was  in  the  midst  of  the  vil- 
lage). Besides,  I  thought  the  village  might  be  surprised 
during  the  night  by  the  warlike  and  treacherous  Baka- 
lais.  So  I  need  not  tell  you  that  all  my  guns  were  load- 
ed and  all  the  guns  of  my  men  likewise. 

I  did  not  like  this  kind  of  travelling  at  all. 

These  men  were  all  painted  with  colored  chalk,  red 
and  yellow  being  the  favorite  colors ;  they  were  covered 
with  fetiches,  which  they  believed  would  protect  them 
from  the  deadly  weapons  of  their  enemies ;  and  by  the 
dim  light  of  their  fires  and  torches  they  appeared  to  me 
more  like  devils  than  men.  The  village  was  also  strong- 
ly fenced  with  long  poles. 

At  last  the  morning  twilight  made  its  appearance,  and 
after  giving  a  present  to  the  King,  we  got  ready  and  by 
sunrise  were  on  our  way. 

We  soon  came  to  a  Bakalai  village,  and  there  I  made 
my  head-quarters.  The  country  abounded  in  birds ; 
wild  boars  were  also  said  to  be  abundant,  and  leopards 
were  rather  common.  This  was  just  the  country  in 
which  I  expected  to  discover  new  species  of  birds  and  to 
enjoy  some  grand  hunting. 


30  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

The  house  I  lived  in  was  at  the  extreme  end  of  the 
village,  and  the  villagers  were  very  kind  to  me. 

One  night  I  heard  a  great  cackling^of  my  fowls,  who 
perched  on  a  tree  near  my  hut,  and  soon  after  I  heard 
them  flying  away  in  every  direction.  I  jumped  from 
my  couch  and  opened  my  door,  thinking  some  one  was 


WITH  A  LEOPARD. 


trying  to  steal  some  of  them.  The  moon  was  in  its  last 
quarter,  so  it  was  not  dark  as  I  stepped  into  the  yard, 
when  lo  !  I  was  struck  with  terror  to  find  myself  face  to 
face  with  a  tremendous  leopard !  How  big  he  looked ! 

I  was  so  astonished  that  for  the  space  of  thirty  seconds • 

which  seemed  to  me  to  be  minutes — or  perhaps  more,  I 
did  not  stir  a  step.  I  looked  at  the  leopard,  which  cer- 


A  NIOHT  WATCH  FOR  LEOPARDS.  31 

tainly  was  not  more  than  six  yards  from  me,  and  the 
leopard,  which  probably  was  quite  as  much  astonished 
at  my  sudden  apparition,  looked  at  me.  I  must  have 
appeared  to  him  like  a  ghost.  I  seemed  to  be  spell- 
bound. So  did  the  leopard. 

Suddenly  I  came  to  my  senses,  and  having  no  weapon 
with  me  I  made  a  rush  for  the  door,  shut  myself  inside, 
seized  my  rifle,  then  opened  the  door  in  the  quietest  pos- 
sible way.  Now  I  felt  strong  with  my  gun  in  hand  and 
so  looked  out  for  Mr.  Leopard  ;  but  -the  great  beast  had 
gone.  I  fancy  he  was  as  much  frightened  as  I  was. 

Such  a  sudden  meeting  in  the  night  had  never  hap- 
pened to  me  before,  and  has  never  happened  to  me  since ; 
and  I  hope  never  will  happen  to  me  again.  In  the 
morning,  when  I  awoke,  the  enormous  foot-prints  of  the 
beast  reminded  me  that  it  was  not  a  dream. 

The  next  day  I  bought  a  goat  and  tied  it  by  the  neck 
to  a  tree,  just  on  the  border  of  the  forest  clearing.  Not 
far  from  the  tree  where  the  goat  was  tied  there  was  anoth- 
er tree,  a  huge  one,  so  I  concluded  to  lay  in  wait  there  for 
the  leopard,  and  at  night,  every  preparation  having  been 
made  before  dark,  I  brought  back  the  goat  to  the  village. 

About  ten  o'clock,  with  a  torch  in  one  hand  and  lead- 
ing the  goat  with  the  other,  I  tied  the  animal  in  the  most 
secure  manner,  and  so  that  the  leopard  would  have  trouble 
to  carry  it  off  at  once.  I  went  and  seated  myself  on  the 
ground,  my  back  protected  by  the  trunk  of  the  huge  tree 
I  have  just  spoken  to  you  of,  and  facing  the  goat.  I  am 
sure  I  was  not  more  than  six  yards  from  it.  I  extinguish- 
ed the  torch  so  that  it  was  pitch  dark.  At  first  I  could 
not  see  a  yard  off,  but  at  last  my  eyes  got  accustomed 
to  the  darkness,  and  I  could  see  the  goat  plainly.  The 


32  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOX. 

night  was  clear  and  the  stars  shone  most  beautifully 
above  my  head.  But  how  strange  every  thing  looked 
around  me !  A  chill  ran  through  me  as  I  gazed  around : 
every  thing  seemed  so  mournful ;  I  alone  in  such  a  place ; 
while  now  and  then  the  cry  of  the  solitary  owl  broke  the 
deadness  of  the  awful  silence. 

The  goat  in  the  mean  time  was  continually  bleating, 
for  the  little  creature  had  an  instinctive  dread  of  being 
alone  in  such  a  place.  I  was  glad  he  cried,  for  I  knew  it 
would  make  the  leopard  come  if  the  animal  could  only 
hear  him. 

One  hour  passed  away :  no  leopard !  Two  hours :  no 
leopard  !  Three  hours :  nothing !  I  began  to  feel  tired, 
for  I  was  seated  on  the  bare  ground.  Once  or  twice  I 
thought  I  heard  snakes  crawling,  but  it  was  no  doubt  a 
fancy. 

I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  I  must  have  fallen 
asleep,  for  on  a  sudden,  looking  for  the  goat,  I  saw  that 
it  was  not  there.  I  rubbed  my  eyes,  for  I  really  was  not 
sure  of  them,  but  I  was  not  mistaken  ;  no  goat  was  to  be 
seen  !  I  got  up,  and  my  wonder  was  great  when  at  the 
place  where  the  goat  had  been  I  found  blood.  I  could 
not  believe  my  senses.  I  lighted  the  torch  and  looked 
at  my  watch :  it  was  four  o'clock  in  the  morning :  and 
then  I  saw  distinctly  the  foot-prints  of  the  leopard. 
There  was  no  mistake  about  it ;  the  leopard  had  come, 
killed  and  carried  away  the  goat,  and  during  that  time 
I  was  fast  asleep ! 

Just  think  of  it!  I  must  have  slept  almost  two 
hours,  and  I  thanked  my  stars  that  the  leopard  had  taken 
the  goat  instead  of  myself!  It  would  have  been  a 
dreadful  feeling  if  I  had  been  awakened  as  I  was  car- 


A  WOMAN  KILLED.  33 

ried  away  in  the  jaws  of  the  leopard,  his  teeth  deep  into 
my  body,  as  the  thing  might  well  have  happened.  I  won- 
dered why  it  had  not,  and  promised  myself  to  be  more 
careful  in  future.  Then  I  remembered  how  tired  I  felt 
before  I  went  to  sleep. 

If  the  goat  had  not  been  carried  away  I  should 
certainly  have  thought  that  I  never  had  fallen  asleep. 

As  I  learned  more  about  leopards  I  found  they  do 
not  generally  leave  their  lairs  before  one  o'clock,  unless 
pressed  by  hunger. 

Sorrow  soon  afterward  came  in  that  village — a  woman 
was  killed  on  the  roadside  by  some  unknown  enemy: 
the  villagers  retaliated  and  went  and  laid  in  ambush  and 
killed  some  one  belonging  to  another  village  ;  the  whole 
country  had  been  involved  in  war  for  some  time,  and  as 
it  was  unsafe  to  walk  anywhere,  I  concluded  to  leave 
the  poor  deluded  people  who  had  been  very  kind  to  me. 
So,  after  packing  my  collections  of  specimens  of  Natural 
History,  I  bade  them  a  friendly  farewell. 


B2 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HUNTING  ELEPHANTS  AND  BUFFALOES. — A  VENOMOUS  SER- 
PENT.— A  SNAKE  CHAEMEE. — HE  IS  BITTEN. — HE  COMMITS 
SUICIDE. 

IT  was  midnight ;  the  moon  had  risen,  and  I  could 
look  at  the  expanse  of  the  prairies  situated  near  Point 
Obenda,  on  the  Gaboon  estuary.  The  moon  threw  just' 
light  enough  to  show  me  the  great  solitude,  in  the  midst 
of  which  there  was  not  a  living  soul  with  me.  As  my 
eyes  gazed  upon  the  broad  expanse,  I  tried  to  see  if  I 
could  perceive  any  wild  beast.  At  last  I  spied  far  off 
what  I  thought  to  be  a  huge  elephant ;  it  stood  still : 
the  great  beast  neither  walked  nor  fed. 

I  immediately  put  my  old  Panama  hat  flat  on  my  head 
and  walked  in  a  stooping  posture  toward  the  huge  mon- 
ster, who  was  far  off.  I  approached  nearer  and  nearer, 
when  lo !  the  big  beast  began  to  move  toward  me.  A 
feeling  of  awe  crept  over  me ;  there  was  not  a  hill  near 
to  hide  myself;  there  was  not  a  tree  for  me  to  climb 
upon  ;  I  thought  how  small  I  looked  by  the  side  of  this, 
the  largest  of  the  animals  of  the  forest ! 

Did  the  elephant  see  me  ? 

Did  he  come  to  meet  me  and  attack  me? 

Such  were  the  questions  that  came  at  once  to  my 
mind.  My  courage  began  to  quail.  I  was,  as  I  said, 
quite  alone ;  I  had  left  all  my  men  in  the  camp :  these 


AN  UOLY  VISITOR.  35 

men  were  the  slaves  of  some  of  my  Mpongwes'  friends, 
and  they  were,  I  knew,  fast  asleep ;  in  case  of  accident 
I  had  no  one  to  come  to  the  rescue.  At  that  time  I  was 
a  young  lad,  and  had  no  confidence  in  myself,  and  to 
fight  an  elephant  which  looked  so  big,  seemed  to  me  per- 
fectly impossible.  But  very  soon  I  got  accustomed  to 
face  danger,  and  loved  to  hunt  elephants.  I  was  no  more 


LY1JSG   LOW   FOB  EI.E 


afraid  of  them.  Well,  the  elephant  kept  still  coming 
toward  me  as  I  lay  flat  on  the  ground.  At  last  he  stop- 
ped, and  then  I  saw  him  raise  his  trunk;  my  heart  be- 
gan to  beat  terribly,  for  I  thought  he  was  coming  down 
to  charge  upon  me.  Then  he  sniffed  two  or  three  times 
and  suddenly  ran  away.  I  had  shouldered  my  gun,  re- 


36  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

solved  at  any  rate  to  try  to  kill  him  instead  of  being 
trampled  down  by  his  huge  feet. 

The  sound  of  every  one  of  his  steps  could  be  heard 
distinctly,  as  he  ran  away  from  me,  and  he  was  soon  out 
of  sight.  He  had  gone  into  the  forest,  and  nature  fell 
back  into  its  accustomed  stillness.  Now  and  then  the 
voice  of  a  frog  resounded  strangely  from  the  prairie. 

Suddenly  a  cloud  came  over  the  moon,  and  it  grew 
almost  dark;  the  wind  blew  strongly,  for  it  was  in  the 
dry  season  and  was  quite  chilly.  After  wandering  a 
while  I  came  at  last  to  a  large  ant-hill  and  sheltered 
myself  there,  thinking  at  the  same  time  that  it  would  be 
a  splendid  place  to  hide  and  look  for  game. 

How  strange  my  shadow  appeared, by  the  side  of  that 
ant-hill,  when  the  moon  shone  again ! 

I  did  not  wait  long  for  game.  I  had  not  lain  long  by 
the  ant-hill  before  I  saw  coming  out  of  the  forest  not  far 
off  a  herd  of  Bos  brachicheros,  the  wild  bull  of  this  part 
of  Africa.  How  fantastic  their  bodies  appeared,  as  one 
by  one  they  came  out  of  the  forest :  they  were  coming 
toward  where  I  stood,  and  the  wind  blew  toward  me. 
I  counted,  I  think,  twenty  of  these  wild  buffaloes. 
They  stopped  for  a  while  as  if  to  determine  what  direc- 
tion to  take,  and  perhaps  also  to  see  if  they  might  discov- 
er or  smell  the  leopard,  which  is  their  most  dangerous 
enemy,  and  then  continued  their  march  toward  the  ant- 
hill where  I  was.  I  became  very  excited,  cocked  my 
gun,  and  aimed  at  the  bull  which  was  heading  the  herd, 
then  pulled  the  trigger ;  bang !  and  down  he  came.  A 
general  stampede  followed,  but  just  in  the  direction  of 
the  ant-hill.  What  did  these  fellows  mean  ?  Did  they 
all  want  to  charge  me  ?  No,  they  passed  to  the  right  and 


BETUEN  TO  THE  CAMP.  37 

left  of  the  ant-hill.  After  they  had  passed  I  turned 
round  and  fired  another  shot  into  the  midst  of  them,  but 
this  time  with  less  effect,  for  none  fell,  and  this  second 
shot  made  them  run  away  with  greater  speed  than  be- 
fore. At  any  rate  I  was  glad,  for  I  had  knocked  down 
the  bull,  the  head  of  the  herd. 

I  wished  I  had  a  horse  and  a  lasso ;  how  quickly  I 
should  have  come  to  them,  and  killed  enough  of  them  to 
give  meat  to  all  my  men  for  several  days  to  come. 

I  went  back  and  saw  the  bull  lying  on  the  ground, 
not  dead,  but  moaning  terribly  from  pain.  As  I  ap- 
proached he  tried  to  get  up,  but  in  vain ;  so  another 
bullet  in  the  head  finished  him. 

My  men,  who  had  been  awakened  by  the  shot,  looked 
round  for  me,  and  finding  that  I  had  gone,  made  for  the 
direction  of  the  firing,  and  there  was  great  rejoicing  as 
they  approached  and  saw  the  huge  bull  lying  on  the 
ground,  for  plenty  was  to  enter  the  camp  with  his  car- 
case. 

The  beast  was  at  once  cut  to  pieces  ;  each  man  took  a 
load,  and  we  made  for  the  camp ;  for  it  was  too  cold  to 
linger.  Besides,  I  was  getting  tired.  We  were  afraid 
to  leave  the  animal  alone  during  the  night  for  fear  of 
leopards. 

It  was  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  I  reached 
the  camp. 

Our  camp  was  protected  by  the  forest  and  was  situ- 
ated on  the  edge  of  it.  I  immediately  started  a  tremen- 
dous fire,  and  felt  so  tired  that  I  fell  asleep  directly  on 
the  bare  ground,  telling  my  men  to  keep  watch.  The 
good  fellows  were  in  good  spirits,  and  already  began  to 
roast  pieces  of  meat  on  the  bright  charcoal  fire,  and  were 


38         WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

eating  in  such  big  mouthfuls  that  it  would  have  made 
you  laugh  to  see  them. 

As  for  me,  as  I  said,  I  went  to  sleep,  and  my  men  the 
next  morning  said  that  I  made  a  terrible  noise  snoring. 
I  denied  it  and  said  I  never  snored,  but  they  said  I  did. 
But  after  all,  you  know,  I  had  no  pillow,  and  I  should 
not  wonder  if  I  did  snore  a  little. 

Next  morning  the  sun* rose  brightly,  the  air  was  some- 
what chilly,  the  breeze  was  fresh.  I  was  happy,  I  re- 
member. These  were  bright  days  for  me :  I  was  with- 
out care,  and  for  some  time  the  fever  had  left  me.  I 
was  in  good  health  and  spirits. 

After  an  early  breakfast  I  started  for  the  hunt.  I 
had  with  me  my  best  gun.;  the  slave  that  followed  me 
had  another  gun ;  this  one  was  loaded  with  bullets ;  I 
had  my  dinner  with  me,  and  that  dinner  was  a  piece  of 
the  bull  I  had  killed  the  day  before  which  had  been 
roasted  on  charcoal.  I  intended  to  dine  on  the  banks 
of  some  little  rivulet  so  that  I  might  have  water  to  drink 
during  my  meal.  I  would  have  no  plate  except  a  leaf; 
the  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree  was  to  be  my  seat,  and  my 
knees  were  to  be  my  table. 

With  a  light  step  I  left  our  camp.  My  spirits  were 
buoyant ;  discoveries  of  new  animals,  of  new  birds,  of 
new  countries  loomed  up  in  the  distance.  How  much 
I  would  have  to  tell  my  friends  on  my  return  from 
that  strange  and  wild  land  I  had  come  to  see,  if  God 
granted  me  life  and  health ! 

We  went  through  prairies,  swamps,  and  forest.  At 
last  we  came  to  a  spot  where  once  a  plantation  stood ;  it 
was  intersected  by  several  little  brooks  of  clear  water. 
My  man  shouted,  "  Omemba  ompolof"  (a  large  snake),  and 


A.  RUN  FROM  A  DANGEROUS  SNAKE.  39 

I  saw  at  the  same  moment  an  enormous  black  shining 
snake  (a  species  of  naja),  one  of  the  most  dangerous 
species.  I  knew  he  was  coming  in  our  direction  and  be- 
longed to  that  species  that  when  bullied  raises  itself 
erect  and  wants  to  fight.  He  was  a  terribly  big  fellow, 
one  of  the  largest  I  had  ever  seen  ;  he  looked  loathsome 
and  horrid;  I  could  see  distinctly  his  triangular  head. 
I  fired  in  haste,  hoping  to  break  his  spine,  but  missed 
the  reptile,  and  immediately  he  erected  himself  to  a  few 
feet  in  height  and  whistled  in  the  most  horrid  man- 
ner, his  tongue  coming  out  sharp  and  pointed  like  an 
arrow.  I  fired  again  right  into  his  head,  and  I  do  not 
know  why,  but  I  missed  him  again.  Then  the  fellow 
gave  a  spring ;  I  really  do  not  know  if  he  came  toward 
me,  for  I  fled  panic-stricken,  and  when  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance reloaded  my  gun  with  small  shot,  and  returned 
to  the  spot  where  I  had  shot  at  him.  I  spied  something 
just  getting  out  of  a  little  rivulet.  It  was  the  very 
snake  itself  which  had  crossed  the  water,  and  before  he 
was  entirely  out  I  fired  and  killed  him,  or  rather  I  suc- 
ceeded in  breaking  his  spine  and  making  him  helpless 
for  attack  or  for  running  away.  But  he  was  not  dead, 
and  when  I  approached  him  he  again  gave  a  sharp  whis- 
tle. I  cut  a  branch  of  a  tree  for  a  stick  to  kill  him  with, 
and  then  examined  his  fangs:  they  were  of  enormous 
size,  and  almost  an  inch  in  length. 

This  snake  was  about  ten  feet  long.  We  left  it  on 
the  spot,  taking  its  head  and  tail  with  us,  which  we 
carefully  packed  in  leaves,  for  we  wanted  to  show  to  our 
fellows  of  the  camp  what  a  big  snake  we  had  killed. 

This  species  of  naja  is  the  only  one  I  have  ever  seen 
which  could  erect  itself. 


40  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

One  day  I  witnessed  a  fearful  scene.  A  man,  a  native 
of  Goree,  an  island  on  the  coast  of  Senegambia,  who  had 
the  reputation  of  being  a  snake-charmer  and  was  then 
at  the  Gaboon,  had  succeeded  in  capturing  one  of  these 
large  naja.  He  was  a  bold  man,  and  prided  himself  on 
never  being  afraid  of  any  snake,  however  venomous  the 
reptile  might  be ;  nay,  not  only  was  he  not  afraid  of  any 
of  them,  but  he  would  fight  'with  any  of  them  and  get 
hold  of  them. 

I  had  often  seen  him  with  snakes  in  his  hands.  He 
was  careful,  of  course,  to  hold  them  just  by  the  neck  be- 
low the  head,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  head  could  not 
turn  on  itself  and  bite  him. 

That  day  he  brought  into  a  large  open  place,  perfect- 
ly bare  of  grass,  one  of  these  wild  naja  that  he  had  just 
captured,  and  was  amusing  himself  by  teasing  the  horrid 
and  loathsome  creature  when  I  arrived.  It  was  a  huge 
one! 

Most  of  the  people  of  the  village  had  fled,  and  those 
natives  who  like  myself  were  looking  on,  kept  a  long- 
way  off.  Not  a  Mpongwe  man,  not  a  single  inhabitant  of 
the  whole  region  I  have  explored,  would  have  ever 
dared  to  do  what  the  Goree  man  did. 

Two  or  three  times,  as  the  snake  crawled  on  the 
ground,  we  made  off  in  the  opposite  direction  with  the 
utmost  speed,  myself,  I  am  afraid,  leading  off  in  the 
general  stampede ;  though  I  had  provided  myself  with  a 
gun. 

It  was  perfectly  fearful,  perfectly  horrid  and  appalling 
to  see  that  man  making  a  plaything  of  this  monster; 
laughing,  as  we  may  say,  at  death,  for  it  could  be  noth- 
ing else,  I  thought. 


CHARMING  A  NAJA. 


41 


At  first  when  I  saw  him  he  had  the  snake  around  his 
body,  but  he  held  it  firmly  just  below  the  neck,  and  I 
could  see  by  the  muscles  of  his  arm  that  he  had  to  use 
great  strength.  As  long  as  this  part  of  the  body  is  held 
firmly  the  snake  loses  much  of  its  great  power  of  crush- 
ing one  to  death  as  the  boa-constrictor  or  python  does 


THE  SSAKE  CHAE1IJKB. 


with  larger  animals,  and  as  small  snakes  do  with  smaller 
game;  but  with  this  naja  the  danger  would  have  been 
the  venomous  bite. 

Then  with  his  other  hand  he  took  the  tail  of  the  snake, 
and  gave  it  a  swing  and  gradually  unfolded  the  reptile 
from  his  black  body,  which  was  warm  and  shining  with 


42  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

excitement,  but  always  holding  the  head.  On  a  sudden 
he  threw  the  snake  on  the  ground.  Then  the  creatv.re 
began  to  crawl  away,  when  suddenly  the  Goree  man  came 
in  front  of  it  with  a  light  stick  and  instantly  the  monster 
erected  itself  almost  to  half  its  full  length,  gave  a  tre- 
mendous whistle,  which  we  all  heard,  looked  glaringly 
and  fiercely  in  the  man's  face  with  its  sharp,  pointed 
tongue  out,  and  then  stood  still  as  if  it  could  not  move. 
The  Goree  man,  with  his  little  stick  in  his  left  hand, 
touched  it  lightly  as  though  to  tease  it.  It  was  a  fearful 
sight — and  if  he  had  been  near  enough  the  snake  would 
no  doubt  have  sprung  upon  its  antagonist.  The  man,  as 
he  teased  arid  infuriated  the  snake  with  the  rod  he  held 
in  his  left  hand,  drew  the  attention  of  the  reptile  toward 
the  stick ;  then  suddenly  and  in  the  wink  of  an  eye,  al- 
most as  quick  as  lightning,  with  his  right  hand  he  got 
hold  of  the  creature  just  under  his  head. 

The  same  thing  that  I  have  just  described  again  took 
place.  The  snake  folded  itself  round  his  body ;  then  he 
unfolded  the  snake,  which  was  once  more  let  loose,  and 
now  this  horrid  serpent  got  so  infuriated  that  as  soon  as 
he  was  thrown  on  the  ground  he  erected  himself,  and  the 
glare  of  his  eyes  was  something  terrific.  It  was  indeed 
an  appalling  scene ;  the  air  around  seemed  to  be  filled 
with  the  whistling  sound  of  the  creature. 

Alas!  a  more  terrible  scene  soon  took  place!  The 
man  became  bolder  and  bolder,  more  and  more  care- 
less, and  the  snake  probably  more  and  more  accustomed 
to  the  mode  of  warfare  of  his  antagonist,  and  just  as  the 
monster  stood  erect,  the  man  attempted  to  seize  its  neck 
as  he  had  done  many  and  many  a  time  before,  but  grasp- 
ed the  body  too  low,  and  before  he  had  time  to  let  it  go 


THE  SNAKE  CHAltMER  DIES.  43 

the  head  turned  on  itself  and  the  man  was  bitten !  I  was 
perfectly  speechless,  the  scene  had  frozen  my  blood,  and 
the  wild  shrieks  of  all  those  round  rent  the  air.  The  ser- 
pent was  loose  and  crawling  on  the  ground,  but  before  it 
had  time  to  go  far  a  long  pole  came  down  upon  its  back 
and  broke  its  spine,  and  in  less  time  than  I  take  to  write 
it  down  the  monster  was  killed. 

To  the  French  doctor  who  had  charge  of  the  little  col- 
ony the  man  went  (happily  he  was  just  at  hand) ;  all  the 
remedies  were  prompt  and  powerful ;  the  man  suffered  in- 
tensely, his  body  became  swollen,  his  mind  wandered, 
and  his  life  was  despaired  of;  but  at  last  he  got  better, 
and  though  complaining  of  great  pain  near  the  heart,  he 
was  soon  able  to  go  out  again.  A  short  time  after  this 
accident,  having  an  axe  in  his  hand,  going  as  he  said  to 
cut  wood,  \Q  suddenly  split  his  own  head  in  two.  He 
had  become  insane ! 


CHAPTER  V. 

AT   COURT   IN  AFRICA. — COSTUMES    OF   THE    COURT. — AN  AF- 
RICAN   HOUSEHOLD. A   FALSE    ALARM. 

IN  the  midst  of  the  great  forest,  far  from  the  sea, 
stands  a  village  of  Mbondemo. 

Before  I  entered  it  the  gate  had  to  be  opened  in  order 
to  let  me  in.  The  village  was  composed  only  of  a  single 
street,  each  end  was  barricaded  with  stout  stacks  or  pali- 
sades, and,  as  there  was  war,  the  doors  or  gates  of  the  vil- 
lage were  finally  closed,  and  persons  approaching,  if  they 
could  not  explain  their  intentions,  were  remorselessly 
speared  and  killed. 

On  the  ends  of  the  sticks  making  the  palisades  were 
skulls  of  wild  boars,  of  gorillas  and  of  chimpanzees. 
At  the  gate  I  entered  there  was  a  large  wooden  idol,  and 
close  by  the  idol  was  a  very  large  elephant's  skull. 

If  I  had  come  alone  I  should  probably  never  have  en- 
tered the  village,  but  I  had  with  me  one  of  the  King's 
numerous  sons-in-law  belonging  to  a  far  town,  and  he 
had  sent  word  that  I  was  coming  with  him  and  some  of 
his  people. 

I  had  hardly  entered  when  all  sorts  of  wild  shouts 
were  heard  from  one  end  of  the  village  to  the  other ;  the 
women  ran  away ;  the  children  hid  in  their  huts ;  and 


A  ROYAL  RECEPTION. 


45 


the  men  kept  at  a  distance,  so  the  way  to  the  palaver- 
house  was  free. 

These  men  were  all  armed  to  the  teeth  and  were 
ready  for  fight.  They  were  continually  in  hot  water  with 
their  neighbors,  and  never  knew  when  they  were  to  be 
attacked.  They  are  a  quarrelsome  people. 

The  palaver-house  was  a  large  shed  built  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  street,  and  there  we  seated  ourselves.  A  few 


APPEARANCE  OF   THE  KING   AND  HIS  OOUKT. 


men  braver  than  the  rest  came  to  look  at  what  they 
thought  the  strange  being,  "the  Spirit,"  that  had  come 
among  them. 

His  Majesty  headed  the  party,  followed  by  his  head- 
man. He  wore  an  old  red  English  coat  and  no  other 
garments.  He  was  a  short,  thick-built  negro,  and  wore  an 
immense  pair  of  iron  ear-rings.  He  was  followed  by  what 
I  supposed  to  be  the  second  head-man,  or  prime  minister. 


46  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

This  one  had  for  his  costume  an  old  shirt  which  had  only 
one  sleeve  and  no  sign  of  a  button  to  be  seen  anywhere, 
a  shirt  that  formerly  must  have  been  white  but  had  nev- 
er been  washed  since  he  got  it,  which  was  several  years 
before.  This  prime  minister  had  nothing  else  on.  The 
third  man,  who  of  course  formed  part  of  his  Majesty's 
suite,  had  on  an  old  beaver  hat  and  nothing  else.  An- 
other that  followed  him  had  one  of  those  old-fashioned 
black  neck-ties  (as  tight  as  the  neck  itself,  and  attached 
with  a  buckle)  which  were  worn  some  thirty  years  ago, 
and  nothing  else.  How  the  deuce  did  that  fellow  get 
that  cravat?  I  asked  myself.  I  learned  afterward  that 
he  had  inherited  it.  Then  came  a  fellow  who  by  hook 
or  by  crook  had  possession  of  an  old  pair  of  shoes ;  how 
he  had  got  them  I  was  unable  to  find  out.  His  father 
had  perhaps  left  them  to  him.  How  steady ,,how  grave 
they  looked,  as  they  passed  one  after  another  before  me. 
These  were  the  leading  men  of  thisMbisho  village.  They 
thought  themselves  splendid,  and  their  people  thought 
the  same.  They  came  out  in  state. 

I  had  seen  before  so  much  of  the  same  kind  of  African 
court  costumes  that  I  tried  to  look  sober,  as  they  made 
their  appearance  in  the  midst  of  the  shouts  of  their  peo- 
ple, who  praised  their  good  looks. 

They  looked  at  me  and  I  looked  at  them,  and  at  last 
with  one  voice  they  asked  me  to  notice  how  handsome 
they  were,  each  at  the  same  time  in  one  way  or  another 
making  the  most  of  what  he  wore.  I  said  they  were 
very  fine. 

The  houses  of  that  village  had  no  windows  or  doors, 
except  on  the  side  toward  the  street ;  and  when  the  gates 
of  the  streets  at  each  end  were  locked  the  village  was  in- 


THE  NEW  MOON  IN  AFRICA.  47 

deed  a  fortress.  As  an  additional  protection  trees  had 
been  cut  down,  and  all  the  surrounding  approaches  had 
been  thus  blocked  up.  This  village  was  situated  on  the 
top  of  a  high  hill. 

Interiorly  the  houses  were  divided  by  a  bark  parti- 
tion into  two  rooms ;  one  the  kitchen,  where  every  body 
sits  or  lies  down  on  the  ground  about  the  fire,  smokes 
his  pipe,  and  goes  to  sleep,  while  listening  to  the  oth- 
ers. There  also  in  the  evening  the  harp  is  played. 

The  other  is  the  sleeping  apartment.  This  one  is  per- 
fectly dark,  and  here  are  stored  all  their  provisions,  all 
their  riches.  To  ascertain  how  large  a  family  any  house- 
holder has,  you  have  only  to  count  the  little  doors  which 
open  into  the  various  sleeping  apartments:  "So  many 
doors,  so  many  wives."  These  houses,  like  all  the  houses 
I  had  seen  in  the  interior,  were  made  of  the  bark  of  trees. 

There  is  nothing  more  disgusting  than  the  toilet  of 
one  of  these  Mbondemo  fellows,  except  it  be  the  toilet  of 
his  wife.  The  women  seem  to  lay  on  the  oil  and  red 
earth  thicker  than  their  husbands. 

The  third  night  after  I  arrived  in  that  strange  village 
there  was  a  new  moon.  As  soon  as  the  shades  of  even- 
ing came  no  one  talked  except  in  an  under-tone.  The 
people  hardly  came  out  of  their  huts  ;  all  was  silent.  In 
the  evening  the  King  came  out  of  his  house  and  danced 
along  the  street ;  his  face  and  body  were  painted  white, 
black,  and  red,  and  spotted  all  over  with  spots  the  size 
of  a  peach.  In  the  dim  moonlight  he  had  a  frightful  ap- 
pearance, which  made  me  shudder  at  first,  for  I  could 
not  help  thinking  of  the  devil.  I  asked  him  why  he 
painted  thus,  but  he  only  answered  by  pointing  to  the 
moon  without  speaking  a  word. 


48  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR.  • 

The  day  of  the  new  moon  when  the  evening  comes  a 
strange  kind  of  dread  seems  to  seize  these  people.  In 
all  the  tribes  that  day  they  mark  their  bodies  with  ochre, 
but  I  have  never  been  able  to  find  out  the  reason.  To 
them  the  moon  is  the  emblem  of  time.  Hence,  as  the 
moon  appears,  many  think  that  before  it  has  disappear- 
ed again  it  will  eat  people ;  that  is  to  say,  that  some  one 
may  die. 

The  fifth  day  I  had  been  in  that  village,  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  night,  I  was  awakened  by  the  war-drum  beat- 
ing, shouts  of  war,  and  a  terrific  uproar.  Men  and  women 
were  running  to  and  fro,  and  all  said  the  enemy  was 
near.  One  man  had  been  seen  outside  the  palisade  and 
when  challenged  had  run  away.  "Let  them  come!" 
they  shouted,  "let  them  come!  We  have  the  Spirit 
among  us !"  (meaning  me).  "  Dare  to  come,  and  we  will 
kill  you  all!" 

It  was  not  a  very  pleasant  situation  to  be  in.  I  did 
not  come  to  make  war  with  one  party  or  the  other. 
The  large  Mbuiti  was  instantly  brought  out,  and  the  peo- 
ple danced  round  it  in  the  most  strange  and  fantastic 
way ;  one  by  one  the  great  Mbisho  warriors  came  by  her, 
and  sung  songs  to  her — the  idol  was  a  woman.  Onq 
warrior  danced  tremendously  before  her ;  he  kicked  his 
legs  up  and  down  one  after  the  other,  then  put  himself 
in  the  most  supplicating  posture,  his  two  hands  forward, 
and  simply  asked  that  he  might  kill  every  man  that 
came  to  attack  him.  At  last  he  got  so  excited  that  I 
thought  he  would  go  mad.  His  eyes  became  wild,  the 
foam  came  out  of  his  mouth,  the  muscles  on  his  face 
worked  convulsively,  he  seized  his  spear  with  tremendous 
force,  and  his  face  looked  like  that  of  a  demon.  While  he 


A  FALSE  ALARM.  49 

was  in  that  state  the  other  people  caught  the  excitement, 
the  drum  beat  more  loudly,  they  sung  more  ferociously 
than  before,  the  whole  town  became  warlike  in  the  ex- 
treme. Of  course  there  was  no  more  sleep  for  me. 

The  morning  at  last  came,  but  no  warriors  had  appear- 
ed to  attack  the  village.  I  am  sure  a  panic  had  seized 
my  friends,  and  that  which  they  took  for  a  man  was 
nothing  but  some  wild  animal  passing  by  the  village 
walls. 

The  rainy  season  had  fairly  set  in  in  these  regions  at 
the  time  of  my  arrival,  and  thunder,  lightning,  and  heavy 
showers  were  common  both  day  and  night. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HUNT   FOR   GORILLAS. — A  LARGE   ONE  SHOT. THE    NEGROES 

MAKE    CHARMS    OF   HIS   BRAIN.  MOURNING   IN   A   BAKA- 

LAI   TOWN. 

I  AM  in  the  densest  part  of  the  jungle ! 

What  am  I  doing  in  that  jungle,  armed  to  the  teeth, 
and  loaded  with  provisions  ? 

If  you  could  have  looked  closely  you  would  have 
seen  three  black  men  with  me.  They  also  were  armed 
to  the  teeth  and  were  loaded  with  provisions.  Their 
bodies  were  painted  and  they  were  covered  with  war- 
fetiches  ;  and  if  they  thought  their  fetiches  had  any  power 
it  was  time  to  wear  them,  for  if  we  were  not  going  to  make 
war  with  man,  we  were  to  hunt  and  try  to  meet  the  ter- 
rible and  ferocious  gorilla. 

Yes,  we  were  in  fighting  trim,  and  we  intended  to  re- 
main in  the  forest  as  long  as  our  provisions  would  hold 
out. 

I  had  my  best  gun  with  me,  which  had  been  loaded 
in  the  most  careful  manner  that  very  morning.  My  three 
men,  Miengai,  Makinda,  and  Yeava,  had  also  loaded  their 
guns,  which  were  flint-locks.  They  had  loaded  them 
tremendously,  and  instead  of  lead  bullets  had  rammed 
down  four  or  five  pieces  of  iron  bar  or  rough  broken  cast- 
iron  pieces,  making  the  whole  charge  eight  or  ten  fingers 
deep. 


.AFTER  GORILLAS.  51 

The  country  was  very  rough,  hilly,  and  densely  crowd- 
ed with  trees,  and  under  the  trees  the  jungle  was  almost 
impassable,  consequently  our  hunting  could  hardly  be 
counted  sport,  for  we  had  to  work  fearfully  hard  and 
with  the  greatest  care ;  but  I  felt  strong,  for  I  had  rested 
for  two  or  three  days  and  the  fever  had  let  me  alone. 

We  saw  several  gorilla  tracks,  and  about  noon  divided 
our  party  in  the  hope  of  surrounding  the  resting-place 
of  one  whose  tracks  were  very  plain.  I  had  scarcely 
got  away  from  my  party  when  I  heard  a  report  of  a  gun, 
then  of  three  more  going  off  one  after  the  other.  Of  course 
I  ran  back  as  fast  as  I  could,  hoping  to  see  a  dead  ani- 
mal before  me,  but  was  disappointed :  my  Mbondemo 
fellows  had  fired  at  a  female,  and  had  wounded  her,  as 
I  saw  by  the  clots  of  blood  which  marked  her  tracks,  but 
she  had  made  good  her  escape.  We  set  out  in  pursuit ; 
but  these  woods  were  too  thick,  she  knew  their  depths 
better  than  we  did,  and  could  go  through  them  much 
faster. 

I  was  greatly  disappointed.  This  was  the  second 
time  I  had  seen  gorillas  and  they  had  run  away. 

I  had  heard  of  the  fierce  courage  of  the  gorilla  and 
his  attacking  man.  I  began  to  believe  that  all  that 
had  been  told  me  was  untrue ;  and  said  so  to  Miengai, 
who  for  sole  answer  said — "  We  have  not  yet  seen  a  man 
gorilla.  The  mother  gorilla  does  not  fight." 

Night  came  upon  us  as  we  were  still  beating  the  bush, 
and  it  was  determined  a  little  before  sunset  to  camp  by 
the  side  of  a  beautiful  stream  of  clear  water  and  to  try 
our  luck  the  next  day.  We  had  shot  some  monkeys 
and  two  beautiful  guinea-fowls.  After  our  fire  had  been 
lit  the  men  roasted  their  monkey-meat  over  the  coals ;  I 


52  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

roasted  my  birds  before  the  blaze  on  a  stick.  I  was 
very  hungry  and  enjoyed  them. 

Then  I  fixed  my  two  fires  in  such  a  way  that  they 
would  last  for  a  long  time.  I  laid  between  them,  and 
instead  of  a  roof  of  leaves  I  made  one  with  the  bark  of 
trees,  and  soon  fell  asleep ;  but  the  roars  of  the  leopards 
and  the  dismal  cries  of  the  owls  awoke  me  several 
times. 

We  started  early  the  next  day,  not  discouraged,  and 
pushed  for  the  most  dense  -and  impenetrable  part  of  the 
forest,  for  there,  in  those  deep  recesses,  we  hoped  we  might 
find  a  gorilla.  Hour  after  hour  we  travelled,  and  yet  no 
signs  of  gorillas — we  had  hardly  met  a  track.  We  could 
only  hear  at  long  intervals  the  little  chattering  of  monk- 
eys, and  occasionally  of  birds.  The  solitude  was  grand, 
the  silence  profound,  so  much  so  that  we  could  hear  our 
panting  breath  as  we  ascended  hill  after  hill.  I  was  be- 
ginning to  despair. 

Suddenly  Miengai  uttered  a  little  cluck  with  his 
tongue,  which  is  the  native's  way  of  showing  that  some- 
thing is  stirring,  and  that  a  sharp  lookout  is  necessary ; 
in  a  word,  to  keep  ourselves  on  our  guard,  or  that  danger 
was  surrounding  us.  Presently  I  noticed,  ahead  of  us 
seemingly,  a  noise  as  of  some  one  breaking  down 
branches  or  twigs  of  trees. 

We  stopped  and  came  close  together.  I  knew  at 
once  by  the  eager  and  excited  looks  of  the  men  that  it 
was  a  gorilla.  They  looked  once  more  carefully  at  their 
guns,  to  see  if  by  any  chance  the  powder  had  fallen  out 
of  the  pans ;  I  also  examined  mine,  to  make  sure  that 
all  was  right,  and  then  we  marched  on  cautiously. 

The  singular  noise  of  the  breaking  of  the  branches 


AN  ENORMO  US  G  ORILLA.  5  3 

continued.  We  walked  with  the  greatest  care,  making 
no  noise  at  all.  The  countenances  of  the  men  showed 
that  they  thought  themselves  engaged  in  a  very  serious 
undertaking ;  but  we  pushed  on,  until  I  thought  I 
could  see  through  the  woods  the  moving  of  the  branches 
and  small  trees  which  the  great  beast  was  tearing  down, 
probably  to  get  from  them  the  berries  and  fruits  he 
lives  on. 

I  remember  how  close  we  were  to  each  other. 

Suddenly,  as  we  were  still  creeping  along,  in  a  silence 
which  made  a  heavy  breath  seem  loud  and  distinct,  the 
woods  were  at  once  rilled  with  the  tremendous  barking 
roar  of  the  gorilla. 

Then  the  underbrush  swayed  rapidly  ahead,  and  pres- 
ently there  stood  before  us  an  immense  male  gorilla.  He 
had  come  through  the  jungle  on  all-fours,  to  see  who 
dared  to  disturb  him ;  but  when  he  saw  our  party  he 
stood  up  and  looked  us  boldly  in  the  face.  He  stood 
about  a  dozen  yards  from  us,  and  it  was  a  sight  I  shall 
never  forget.  He  looked  so  big !  Nearly  six  feet  high, 
with  immense  body,  huge  chest,  and  great  muscular 
arms,  with  fiercely-glaring,  large,  deep,  gray  eyes,  and  a 
hellish  expression  of  face,  which  seemed  to  me  like  some 
nightmare  vision.  Thus  stood  before  me  the  king  of 
the  African  forest. 

How  black  his  face  was ! 

He  was  not  afraid  of  us.  He  stood  there,  and 
beat  his  breast  with  his  huge  fists  till  it  resounded  like 
an  immense  bass-drum,  which  is  their  mode  of  offering 
defiance ;  meantime  giving  vent  to  roar  after  roar. 

This  roar  was  the  most  singular  and  awful  noise  I 
had  ever  heard  in  these  African  forests.  It  began  with 


54  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOH. 

.a  sharp  bark,  like  that  of  an  angry  dog ;  then  glided 
into  a  deep  bass  roll  which  literally  and  closely  resem- 
bled the  roll  of  distant  thunder  along  the  sky.  I  have 
heard  the  lion  roar,  but  greater,  deeper,  and  more  fearful 
is  the  roar  of  the  gorilla.  So  deep  is  it  that  it  seems  to 
proceed  less  from  the  mouth  and  throat  than  from  the 
deep  chest  and  vast  paunch  of  the  beast. 

The  earth  was  literally  shaking  under  my  feet  as  he 
roared,  and  for  a  while  I  knew  not  where  I  was.  Was 
it  an  apparition  from  the  infernal  regions  ?  Was  I  asleep 
or  not  ?  I  was  soon  reminded  that  it  was  not  a  dream. 

I  said  quietly  to  myself—"  Du  Chaillu,  if  you  do  not 
kill  this  gorilla,  as  sure  as  you  are  born  he  will  kill 
you." 

His  eyes  began  to  flash  fierce  fire  as  we  stood  motion- 
less on  the  defensive,  and  the  crest  of  short  hair  which 
stands  on  his  forehead  began  to  twitch  rapidly  up  and 
down  and  was  perfectly  frightful  to  look  at.  His  pow- 
erful fangs,  or  enormous  canines,  were  shown  as  he  again 
sent  forth  a  thunderous  roar :  the  red  inside  of  his  mouth 
contrasted  singularly  with  his  intensely  black  face. 

And  now  truly  he  reminded  me  of  nothing  but 
some  hellish  dream-creature  —  a  being  of  that  hideous 
order,  half  man,  half  beast,  which  we  find  pictured  by  old 
artists  in  some  representations  of  the  infernal  regions; 
but  nothing  they  ever  painted  could  approach  this  horrid 
monster  in  ugliness. 

He  advanced  a  few  steps  in  a  waddling  way,  for  his 
short  legs  seemed  incapable  of  supporting  his  huge  body  ; 
then  stopped  to  utter  that  hideous  roar  again — advanced 
again,  and  finally  stopped  when  at  a  distance  of  five  or 
six  yards  from  us.  And  then — as  he  extended  his  arms 


THE  GORILLA  IK  SHOT.  57 

as  though  ready  to  clutch  us,  and  just  as  he  began 
another  of  his  frightful  roars,  beating  his  breast  with  rage 
— what  a  huge  hand  he  had  ! — I  fired,  and  killed  him. 

With  a  groan  that  had  something  terribly  human  in 
it,  and  yet  was  full  of  brutishness,  he  fell  forward  on  his 
face  like  a  man  when  he  is  struck  by  a  bullet  in  the 
chest.  He  shook  convulsively  for  a  few  minutes,  his 
limbs  moved  about  in  a  struggling  way,  the  tremor  of 
the  muscles  ceased,  and  then  all  was  quiet — death  had 
done  its  work. 

The  monster  was  hardly  dead  when  I  suddenly  began 
to  tremble  all  over,  my  lower  jaw  met  my  upper  one  in  a 
way  I  did  not  like  at  all,  and  my  men  looked  at  me  with 
their  mouths  wide  open  in  perfect  amazement.  They 
could  hardly  believe  their  eyes,  but  having  recovered 
themselves,  they  asked  me  what  was  the  matter.  I  an- 
swered that  I  did  not  know,  and  that  I  had  asked  myself 
the  same  question. 

For  fifteen  minutes  my  jaws  went  on  cracking  against 
each  other,  and  the  more  I  tried  to  stop  them  the  more 
they  chattered.  I  felt  awfully  mortified  ;  but  there  was 
no  help  for  it. 

I  said — "  Next  time  you  will  see ;  I  shall  not  do  it 
again."  I  kept  my  word,  but  I  never  met  a  large  male 
gorilla  without  thinking  that  it  might  be  the  last  of  me. 

There  was  great  rejoicing,  but  it  did  not  last  long, 
for  they  soon  began  to  quarrel  about  the  apportionment 
of  the  meat.  They  really  eat  the  creature,  and  the  Fans 
told  me  that  next  to  the  flesh  of  man  the  gorilla  meat 
was  the  best.  It  looked  wonderfully  like  beef,  only  it 
seemed  to  be  almost  wholly  composed  of  muscle. 

I  saw  that  they  would  come  to  blows  presently  if  I 
C2 


58  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

did  not  interfere ;  hence  I  said  that  if  they  were  going 
to  fight  I  would  join  in ;  and  taking  the  butt-end  of  rny 
gun,  I  said  I  would  smash  the  heads  of  the  three  while 
they  were  fighting  with  each  other. 

This  saying  of  mine  at  once  made  them  laugh  and 
they  became  quiet.  They  knew  that  I  meant  what  I 
said,  and  they  did  not  fancy  getting  a  thrashing. 

The  subject  of  the  quarrel  was  about  the  brain  of  the 
gorilla.  Miengai  said  he  would  have  the  whole  of  it, 
for  he  was  the  oldest.  What  would  they  have  known 
about  the  spirit  pointing  out  to  me  if  it  had  not  been  for 
him  ?  He  said  this  with  such  complacency  and  self-sat- 
isfaction that  I  could  not  help  smiling ;  but  this  argument 
of  Miengai  did  not  seem  to  satisfy  Makinda  and  Yeava. 

So  I  said  I  would  give  part  of  the  brain  to  each  of 
them,  and  when  they  had  it  they  wrapped  it  most  care- 
fully in  leaves,  and  I  was  told  that  monda  (charms) 
were  to  be  made  of  this — charms  of  two  kinds.  Prepared 
in  one  way,  and  mixed  with  bone,  claws,  feathers,  ashes 
of  certain  beasts,  birds,  and  trees,  the  charm  would  give 
the  wearer  a  strong  hand  for  the  hunt,  after  he  had  rub- 
bed his  hands  and  arms  with  the  mixture.  Prepared 
another  way  it  gave  the  wearer  success  with  women ; 
he  became  irresistible,  and  all  the  pretty  girls  were  will- 
ing to  become  his  wives.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
if  that  latter  charm  was  real,  how  much  bachelors  and 
widowers  would  like  to  possess  it  at  home  where  pretty 
girls  are  so  difficult  to  please. 

My  men  in  the  evening  fed  on  the  gorilla  meat,  and 
I  fed  on  the  meat  of  a  small  and  beautiful  little  gazelle 
which  Makinda  had  killed. 

The  blazing  fires  shed  their  light  through  the  beauti- 


THE  PEOPLE  SCAMED.  59 

ful  forest,  and  I  went  to  sleep  happy  :  but  during  tbe 
night  I  awoke,  uttering  a  tremendous  shout  which  made 
my  men  laugh,  for  they  had  been  up  for  some  time  in 
order  to  eat  a  little  more  of  the  gorilla  meat.  I  had  the 
nightmare,  and  had  dreamed  that  I  was  pursued  by  half 
a  dozen  gorillas,  and  when  I  gave  that  awful  shriek  I 
had  just  fancied  that  one  of  these  monsters  was  clutching 
me  and  was  going  to  carry  me  away  to  the  forest 

We  were  tired  and  worn  out,  but  at  last  we  reached 
a  deserted  village  which  w%  had  found  before  our  hunt- 
ing and  where  we  had  our  camp.  Judge  of  our  astonish- 
ment when  I  found  the  place  in  possession  of  a  division 
of  travelling  Bakalais !  The  village  was  full  of  them : 
men,  women,  children  and  babies  were  there ;  they  had 
quantities  of  food ;  all  their  baggage,  composed  of  old  bask- 
ets, cooking-pots,  calabashes,  mats ;  and  all  their  farming 
implements.  The  men  were  all  armed. 

My  apparition  among  them  threw  them  into  the  utmost 
confusion,  and  if  I  had  not  been  followed  by  Miengai,  who 
shouted  to  them  to  keep  still,  they  would  have  fled ;  but 
after  a  while  we  were  great  friends,  especially  after  I  had 
distributed  a  few  beads  among  the  women. 

They  had  been  living  on  the  banks  of  a  river  called 
Noya,  and  were  moving  far  from  that  place  toward  an- 
other village  where  the  old  chief  had  two  or  three  sons- 
in-law  and  the  same  number  of  fathers-in-law. 

These  people  seemed  to  be  in  dread  of  something. 
They  seemed  to  be  in  retreat,  as  though  they  had  fled 
from  their  former  place  of  abode. 

I  learned  that,  a  few  days  before,  one  of  their  men 
while  bathing  in  the  river  had  been  killed  by  some  un- 
known enemy.  Hereupon  they  were  seized  with  a  pan- 


60  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR 

ic,  believed  their  village  attacked  by  witches,  that  the  An- 
iemba  witchcraft  was  among  them,  and  they  must  aban- 
don it  and  settle  elsewhere  or  they  would  all  die  one  after 
the  other. 

Just  a  little  before  sunset  I  saw  every  one  of  them  re- 
tire within  doors ;  the  children  ceased  to  play,  and  all 
became  very  quiet  in  the  camp,  where  just  before  there 
was  so  much  noise  and  bustle.  Then  suddenly  arose  on 
the  air  one  of  those  mournful,  heart  -  piercing  chants 
which  you  hear  among  all  tne  tribes  of  this  land.  It 
was  a  chant  for  one  of  their  departed  friends.  As  they 
sang,  tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  the  women,  fright 
distorted  their  faces  and  cowed  their  spirits. 

I  listened  and  tried  to  gather  the  words  of  their 
chants.  There  was  a  very  monotonous  repetition  of  one 
idea — that  of  sorrow  at  the  departure  from  among  them 
of  one  of  their  friends  and  fellow- villagers. 

Thus  they  sang : 

We  chi  noli  lubella  pe  na  beshe 
"  Oh,  you  will  never  speak  to  us  any  more, 
We  can  not  see  your  face  any  more  ; 
You  will  never  walk  with  us  again, 
You  will  never  settle  our  palavers  for  us." 

And  so  on. 

They  sang  until  the  sun  had  disappeared  below  the 
horizon,  till  the  orb  that  gives  gladness  to  the  heart  and 
life  to  the  world  had  gone  from  sight,  and  they  chose  the 
time  of  its  disappearance  to  pour  out  their  mourning- 
songs.  I  thought  there  was  something  very  poetical  in 
the  relationship  of  the  time  to  the  subject.  For  what 
should  we  do  without  the  sun  ?  It  is  the  very  heart  of 
life! 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

AN  AFRICAN   FIRESIDE. — A  CAMP   BY  THE    SEA-SHORE. — THE 
FIRST   GORILLA   HUNTER. — NEGRO   BLARNEY. 

As  I  and  my  men  lay  by  the  fire,  I  said  to  them — 
"Now  to-night  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a  story;  an  old 
story  from  the  white  man's  country  concerning  yours." 
There  was  a  very  great  silence  at  once,  for  they  knew  it 
was  not  often  I  came  out  with  a  story,  and  they  all  shout- 
ed with  one  accord — "  Tell  us  a  story !"  at  the  same  time 
forming  a  circle  round  me. 

So  I  begun :  "Ever  so  long  ago,  and  a  long  way  off 
from  here,  but  still  in  your  own  land,  there  was  a  power- 
ful country  called  Carthage.  The  people  of  that  country 
were  brave  and  not  afraid  of  war.  They  had  many  ships, 
and  their  ships  went  into  different  countries.  At  that 
time  the  Commi  nation  must  have  been  a  long  way  in 
the  interior  and  your  people  had  never  seen  the  sea. 

"  Would  you  believe,"  said  I,  "that  these  Carthaginians 
came  with  their  ships  round  here  ?  And  I  really  think 
they  saw  the  very  country  in  which  we  now  are !  They 
not  only  saw  this  country,  but  saw  the  gorilla,  yes,  saw  the 
gorilla !  If  you  were  in  the  white  man's  country  I  would 
show  you  the  old  manuscript  (the  book),  where  we  have 
an  account  of  what  I  am  going  to  say.  You  know,"  said 
I,  "  that  words  coming  from  the  mouth  are  soon  forgot- 


62         WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

ten,  but  these  words  that  are  written  are  not."  Then  tak- 
ing from  my  chest  my  journal,  I  read  it  to  them,  and  then 
said — "  When  I  am  dead,  and  you  and  your  children  are 
dead,  and  for  ever  so  long  afterward,  that  journal,  if  it  is 
not  lost,  will  be  read  in  the  same  manner  as  I  read  it  to  you 
to-day,  and  the  people  will  understand  the  meaning  of  it 
then,  as  you  do  to-day,  and  will  know  what  I  did,  though 
thousands  of  rainy  and  dry  seasons  may  pass  away. 

"  So  Hanno  the  Carthaginian,"  I  continued,  "  was  the 
head-man  of  all  these  ships,  and  left  Carthage  with  sixty 
vessels.  In  that  time  the  ships  were  unlike  those  you 
see  now,  and  thirty  thousand  men  and  women  are  said 
to  have  sailed  with  him.  Each  ship  was  rowed  by 
fifty  oarsmen.  When  we  read  that  book  called  the 
'  Periplus ;  or,  The  Yoyage  of  Hanno,'  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing words  in  which  we  now  suppose  he  alludes  to  the 
gorilla : 

"  '  On  the  third  day,  having  sailed  from  thence,  pass- 
ing the  streams  of  fire,  we  came  to  a  bay  called  the 
Horn  of  the  South." 

["  That  < Horn  of  the  South,' "  I  added,  "  might  be 
Cape  Lopez."] 

" '  In  the  recess  was  an  island  like  the  first,  having  a 
lake,  and  in  this  there  was  another  island  full  of  wild 
men.'" 

[At  this  point  of  my  story  they  looked  in  each  other's 
faces  with  amazement] 

" '  But  the  greater  part  of  them  were  women  with 
hairy  bodies,  whom  the  interpreters  called  Gorillas.' " 

[Here  there  rose  a  wild  shout  of  astonishment.] 

"  '  But  pursuing  them,  we  were  not  able  to  take  the 
men,  who  all  escaped  from  us  by  their  great  agility,  being 


THE  FIRST  GORILLA.  HUNTER.  63 

cremendbates  (that  is  to  say,  climbing  precipitous  rocks 
and  trees,  and  defending  themselves  by  throwing  stones 
at  us).  We  took  three  women,  who  bit  and  tore  those 
who  caught  them,  and  were  unwilling  to  follow  them. 
We  were  obliged  to  kill  them,  and  took  their  skins  off, 
which  skins  were  brought  to  Carthage,  for  we  did  not 
navigate  further,  provisions  becoming  scarce.'  " 


During  this  latter  part  of  my  story  there  was  a  dead 
silence,  and  as  soon  as  I  had  finished  they  said—"  Chail- 
lu,  is  this  a  real  story  or  not?"  And  when  I  assured 
them  it  was,  they  said — "  Yes,  it  must  be  the  gorilla  that 
that  man  called  Hanno  saw." 

I  was  quite  astonished  at  their  remembering  the  name 


04  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

of  the  admiral ;  it  showed  me  what  an  impression  my 
story  had  created  on  their  minds. 

Then  said  I:  "  Boys,  there  are  two  or  three  points  in 
the  story  I  have  told  you  which  inclines  me  to  believe 
that  the  country  Hanno  speaks  of  is  not  this  one,  and 
still  there  are  several  facts  which  make  me  think  that 
the  country  where  we  are  now  is  the  same. 

"  The  very  land  on  which  we  stand  is  sandy ;  not  far 
off  is  the  River  Fernand  Vaz,  and  on  one  side  another 
river,  the  Commi  Eiver,  is  found.  It  may  be  that  the 
land  on  which  we  stand  was  then  an  island,  and  that 
Cape  Lopez  is  the  Horn  of  the  South  of  which  that 
great  man  Hanno  speaks.  Time  changes  countries ;  in 
one  part  the  sea  will  take  away,  in  another  part  the  sea 
will  give.  Such  is  the  country  in  which  we  are." 

They  shouted  with  one  accord  that  it  could  not  be ; 
how  could  land  rise  ?  how  could  the  land  go  down  ?  As 
to  the  sea  eating  away  the  land,  they  believed  it,  for 
they  had  seen  it;  and  as  to  the  land  gaining  in  some 
places,  they  believed  that  also,  for  they  had  seen  it. 

They  all  wondered  how  near  the  word  Gorilla  was  to 
that  of  Ngina  and  Nguyla,  the  latter  name  being  given 
by  the  Bakalai  to  the.  beast. 

After  my  story,  we  all  went  to  bed.  I  wrapped  my- 
self carefully  in  my  blanket  and  soon  fell  asleep,  think- 
ing unconsciously  of  the  gorillas,  and  hoping  soon  to 
meet  some. 

It  was  the  dry  season ;  we  were  in  the  month  of 
August,  and  I  was  near  Cape  St.  Catherine.  The  wind 
was  blowing  hard,  the  atmosphere  was  chilly,  the  sky 
was  clouded  as  though  it  was  going  to  rain,  but  no  rain 
was  coming,  for  no  rain  falls  at  this  time  of  the  year. 


ON  THE  SEA-SHORE.  65 

The  thermometer  stood  at  70°,  but  I  felt  quite  cold,  and 
I  wore  a  sailor's  woolen  shirt. 

The  sea  was  rolling  up  the  shore  in  heavy  rollers 
which  would  upset  a  canoe  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye ; 
we  had  just  arrived,  and  had  come  to  hunt,  fish,  and  be 
merry. 

My  Commi  men  had  all  gone  to  the  woods  to  cut 
branches  of  palm-trees,  and  collect  poles  to  build  shelters. 

I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  place  where  I  had 
my  encampment.  On  that  part  of  the  coast  from  Cape 
Lopez,  and  further  south  than  Cape  St.  Catherine,  the 
whole  coast  is  low  and  covered  with  prairies  which  lift 
but  a  few  feet  above  the  sea  level.  They  are  wooded 
here  and  there,  and  shrubs  are  often  mixed  with  the 
grass  growing  on  the  sandy  soil ;  the  grass  is  good,  not 
growing  to  a  great  height,  but  at  this  time  of  the  year 
it  has  been  burned  down.  The  landscape  has  a  great 
sameness,  and  from  the  sea  it  is  most  difficult  to  know 
any  special  spot  of  the  land.  Altogether  it  is  a  dreary 
country,  a  very  dreary  country  to  look  at,  but  after  all 
I  was  thankful  not  to  be  shut  up  in  the  forest;  for  to 
see  nothing  but  trees  and  trees  is  very  tiresome;  be- 
sides, the  Atlantic  was  before  me,  and  as  I  gazed  upon  its 
broad  waters  I  wished  I  could  see  the  shores  of  America, 

The  spot  where  I  stood  was  about  two  degrees  south 
of  the  equator. 

Our  camp  was  to  be  built  near  one  of  those  numerous 
islands  of  trees  which  dot  the  prairie,  and  we  were  to 
have  it  built  in  such  a  manner  as  to  protect  us  from  the 
high  winds  which  blew  almost  directly  from  the  south 
that  time  of  the  year. 

One  by  one  the  men  came  back — some  with  a  load  of 


66  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

long  stem-branches  of  the  palm ;  others  with  the  leaves ; 
others  with  fire- wood,  and  others  with  sticks  to  make  our 
beds  with. 

Then  we  went  to  work  in  earnest,  and  as  they  work- 
ed the  men  sang  songs.  These  men,  my  own  people, 
had  always  been  with  me  wherever  I  went  except  when 
I  went  too  far  into  the  interior.  They  were  all  splendid 
canoe-men. 

There  was  Kombe  whom  we  had  called  the  quarrel- 
ler ;  Eatenou  his  brother,  who  was  a  splendid  fellow  to 
go  with  his  canoe  through  the  breakers ;  Oshimbo,  who 
could  paddle  better  than  any  man  I  ever  knew ;  Eitim- 
bo,  a  jolly  good  fellow,  always  ready  to  beat  the  tam- 
tam when  asked  for ;  Makombe',  a  splendid  one  to  tell 
us  marvellous  stories  in  the  evening ;  Kakenga,  a  great 
fisherman;  Bandja,  a  man  who  knew  how  to  climb 
the  palm-trees  and  get  palm  wine ;  Adouma,  who  could 
trap  game  and  was  said  to  possess  a  wonderful  fetich  to 
make  the  game  come  to  him ;  Eisani,  a  good  carpenter, 
who  said  he  was  willing  to  work,  but  who  was  contin- 
ually talking  of  the  amount  of  food  he  could  eat ;  then 
came  Yombi,  who  constantly  bragged  of  how  much  palm 
wine  he  could  swallow,  but  was  always  promising  never 
to  get  tipsy — for  I  had  promised  him  as  good  a  drubbing 
as  ever  he  would  wish  to  get  if  I  caught  him  in  a  state 
of  intoxication.  The  last  man  of  the  party  was  a  slave, 
a  harp  player. 

There  was  no  hunter  but  myself. 

So  you  see  we  were  a  nice  set  altogether,  and  all  were 
devoted  to  me  and  obeyed  me  cheerfully.  They  all 
loved  me  dearly.  Indeed,  all  the  people  of  that  country 
loved  me. 


NEGRO  BLAJRNET.  67 

We  had  also  quite  an  outfit  of  things  with  us.  The 
cooking  utensils  were  numerous :  we  had  three  brass 
kettles,  thre.e  iron  pots,  one  frying-pan,  and  three  water- 
jars.  We  had  also  three  axes,  half  a  dozen  machetes,  and 
several  fishing-nets,  and  I  had  three  of  my  guns,  fifty 
pounds  of  shot,  a  couple  of  hundred  bullets,  and  there 
were  flint-lock  guns  for  the  men.  We  did  not  care  to 
be  armed  ;  we  were  in  our  own  country — in  the  Commi 
Country,  where  my  settlement  of  Washington  is  situated. 

I  had  three  chests,  one  containing  my  clothes  and  one 
filled  with  splendid  heads  of  Kentucky  tobacco  ^pr  my 
men,  for  they  were  all  inveterate  smokers,  myself  being 
the  only  onft  Jfrat.  MA  n^f.  ^mnlrp-.  I  had  also  several 
dozens  of  pipes. 

All  rejoiced  at  the  unbounded  supply  of  tobacco  and 
pipes :  they  were  to  have  such  a  glorious  time ;  they 
were  to  take  such  great  care  of  their  friend  Chaillee,  their 
king ;  there  was  no  other  Ntangani  (white  man)  like 
him ;  he  was  their  good  Mbuiti  (spirit)  ;  all  this  talk  was 
to  soften  my  heart  about  the  tobacco. 

At  last  the  camp  was  done,  and  we  were  not  sorry, 
for  we  had  worked  hard  the  whole  day.  We  had  a  huge 
pile  of  plantains  with  us,  which  the  wives  and  slaves  of 
King  Olenga  Yombi  had  brought  to  us ;  we  had  a  larg^ 
quantity  of  sugar-cane  and  some  baskets  of  ground-nuts ; 
the  river  and  the  sea  were  not  far  off,  and  having  our 
nets  with  us  there  was  a  prospect  of  getting  plenty  of 
fish. 

In  the  evening,  when  my  men  were  smoking  their 
pipes,  we  quietly  talked  about  our  hunting  and  fishing 
prospects. 

I  had  discovered  that  this  Cape  St.  Catherine  was  a 


68  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOJt. 

very  great  gorilla  country.  These  huge  beasts  roam  in 
the  forests  wtych  grow  down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  sea, 
and  now  and  then  get  a  peep  at  the  ocean.  I  wonder 
what  they  think  of  it.  I  would  have  given  the  world  to 
see  them  looking  at  it ;  to  see  their  deep  gray  eyes  gazing 
on  the  broad  expanse  of  the  waters.  I  have  seen  their 
very  footsteps  within  a  few  yards  of  the  beach. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HIPPOPOTAMUS    HUNTING. WE    KILL    ONE. — THE    MEN    EAT 

IT. — POOR   BEEF. WHAT  THE  TUSKS  ABE  FOE. 

IT  was  night ;  the  moon  had  just  risen,  and  threw  a 
strange  glare  on  every  thing  round  ;  I  was  in  the  prairie, 
and  had  been  there  since  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
looking  for  wild  beasts. 

At  last  I  saw  five  hippopotami  grazing.  I  approached 
with  cautious  steps,  or  rather  I  crawled  on  the  ground 
toward  the  huge  beasts,  till  I  came  near  enough  to  see  the 
shadows  their  immense  bodies  threw  around  them. 

The  question  was  how  to  get  within  gunshot  without 
bcing,seen.  There  was  nothing  to  protect  me  from  their 
view,  for  the  grass  had  been  burned ;  there  was  nothing 
either  to  protect  me  against  their  assault.  Supposing  that 
I  killed  the  one  I  should  shoot  at,  the  others  might  take 
it  into  their  heads  to  charge  upon  me.  Not  a  tree  was 
within  reach.  Now  I  had  been  so  accustomed  to  hunt 
wild  beasts  that  I  was  not  afraid  of  any  of  them,  but  I 
knew  that  I  could  not  kill  five  hippopotami  at  once. 

Suddenly  the  animals  turned  round  and  gradually 
approached  a  grove  of  trees  ;  but  what  was  to  be  done  ? 
the  wind  almost  blew  from  that  grove  toward  them! 
"  At  any  rate  I  will  try,"  said  I  to  myself,  "  to  go  there, 


70  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

but  I  must  take  a  roundabout  way."  How  careful  I  had 
to  be  in  order  not  to  be  seen  ! 

I  felt  very  much  excited,  and  when  I  reached  the  lit- 
tle island,  or  grove,  of  trees  without  being  discovered  I 
was  mightily  pleased  with  myself.  It  was,  I  thought,  a 
splendid  piece  of  woodcraft  on  my  part  I  fancied  I  was 
almost  the  equal  of  Aboko,  who  had  killed  the  rogue 
elephant  at  Cape  Lopez.  I  had  reached  the  grove  from 
the  opposite  side  to  that  where  I  supposed  the*hippopot- 
ami  to  be.  The  only  sure  way  for  me  to  come  close 
to  them  was  to  go  through  the  grove  and  wait  until  they 
should  come  within  gunshot  from  the  other  side. 

The  trees  were  not  very  thick,  and  I  could  pass 
through  the  underbrush  without  making  much  noise.  I 
thought  that  perhaps  there  was  a  leopard  there,  and  if  so 
he  would  leap  upon  me  before  I  was  aware.  It  was  just 
the  time  of  the  night  when  they  were  out,  and  they 
abounded  in  that  region.  I  therefore  entered  the  woods, 
looking  to  the  left  and  to  the  right  and  ahead  of  me,  in 
order  not  to  be  surprised,  and  met  several  hippopota- 
mi tracks. 

Just  as  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the  grove  I  suddenly 
heard  a  great  crash  in  the  direction  I  was  going.  Then 
followed  several  other  crashes  coming  from  other  parts. 
I  listened :  they  were  the  hippopotami :  they  had  enter- 
ed the  grove  by  several  paths  converging  toward  me. 

I  kept  still.  I  do  believe  my  hair  must  have  stood 
up  on  my  head,  for  I  was  awfully  excited.  The  hippo- 
potami were  coming  just  where  I  was. 

I  cocked  my  gun,  hid  myself  behinfl  a  big  tree,  and 
waited.;  ,1  heard  the  crash  of  branches  in  all  directions 
except  one,  and  finally  saw  the  branches  of  the  trees 


A  DINNER  OF  HIPPOPOTAMUS.  73 

moving  not  far  from  me, -and  by  the  dim  moonlight 
piercing  through  the  not  very  thick  foliage,  I  perceived 
a  monster  hippopotamus,  the  male  of  the  herd,  coming 
sideways  so  as  to  pass  within  a  few  yards  of  me.  Sud- 
denly he  stopped ;  gave  one  of  his  sonorous  grunts ;  and 
then  advanced.  What  a  monster  he  was !  What  a  huge 
body  !  What  short  legs !  At  last,  just  as  he  had  passed 
me,  so  that  he  could  not  face  me  without  turning  his 
unwieldy  body,  I  fired  into  his  ear,  and  the  monster 
dropped  on  the  spot  with  scarcely  a  struggle.  But  I 
wish  you  had  been  with  me  to  hear  the  rush  of  the 
others.  I  thought  all  the  trees  were  coming  down  !  One 
in  his  fright  came  down  in  my  direction.  I  thought  he 
was  charging  me,  so  I  fired,  and  I  heard  the  bullet  strike 
some  part  of  his  body,  probably  one  of  his  tusks,  for  it 
made  a  great  noise ;  but  that  was  all ;  he  passed  on  with 
a  rapidity  of  which  I  thought  these  beasts  perfectly  in- 
capable. I  was  glad  when  they  were  all  out  of  the  way. 

It  had  been  an  exciting  hunt  and  I  was  satisfied.  So 
I  returned  to  the  camp,  and  the  next  day  we  all  went 
to  cut  up  the  beast.  Some  of  the  married  men  cut  long 
strips  of  the  hide  to  make  whips,  which  they  use  pretty 
freely  on  the  backs  of  their  wives ;  but  I  made  them 
promise  not  to  use  these  whips  except  in  $elf-defense. 

There  was  joy  in  the  camp  in  the  evening.  We  had 
music,  and  I  enjoyed  the  broth  amazingly;  it  was  really 
good,  and  I  wish  I  could  say  the  same  of  the  flesh  ;  but 
he  was  an  old  fellow  and  the  meat  was  exceedingly 
tough.  I  soon  gave  up  the  job  of  trying  to  eat  it. 

It  did  me  good  to  see  how  my  men  enjoyed  it.  They 
had  a  dance  in  the  evening. 

In  the  book  called  "Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country  "  I 
D 


74  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

have  not  told  how  curious  is 'the  head  of  this  great,  un- 
wieldy creature. 


1BAD   OP   HIPPOPOTAMI 


Look  at  the  huge,  crooked  tusks!  What  are  they 
for? 

After  watching  a  great  many  times  the  movements 
of  the  hippopotamus,  I  became  assured  that  these  huge, 
crooked  tusks,  which  give  its  mouth  such  a  savage  ap- 
pearance, are  designed  chiefly  to  hook  up  the  long  river- 
grasses  on  which  these  animals  feed  in  great  part.  I 
have  often  seen  one  descend  to  the  bottom,  remain  a  few 
minutes,  and  re-appear  with  its  tusks  strung  with  grass, 
which  was  theft  leisurely  chewed  up. 

There  are  no  large  herds  of  hippopotami  in  the  parts 
of  Africa  I  have  explored,  like  those  found  in  South 
Africa,  thirty  being  about  the  greatest  number  I  have 
ever  seen  together. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A     GREAT     GORILLA. 

A  FEW  days  after  killing  the  hippopotamus  I  took  a 
solitary  path  in  the  woods,  leading  to  one  of  the  la- 
goons or  creeks  so  common  along  this  coast.  Many  of 
the  trees  growing  in  the  woods  belonged  to  a  species  of 
African  teak.  The  soil  being  sandy,  the  forest  was  not 
dense.  Here  and  there  a  cluster  of  palms,  bearing  the 
nut  that  furnishes  the  palm-oil,  was  seen.  Liannes  and 
creepers  twined  round  some  of  the  trees  and  hung  grace- 
fully down.  The  limbs  and  trunks  of  many  trees  were 
literally  covered  with  orchidse,  commonly  called  air 
plant.  These  when  in  bloom  bear  very  beautiful  flow- 
ers which  shed  a  delicious  fragrance. 

In  many  places  the  pine-apple  plants  were  very  abun- 
dant and  grew  by  thousands  close  together. 

Now  and  then  a  little  stream,  meandering  through  the 
woods,  found  its  way  to  the  creek  or  to  the  sea. 

Birds  were  scarce,  very  scarce,  and  the  silence  of  the 
woods  was  only  broken  by  the  booming  sound  of  the 
heavy  surf,  as  each  wave  broke  in  foaming  white  bil- 
lows before  it  reached  the  shore.  The  wind  blew  hard, 
as  usual  at  that  time  of  the  year,  and  whispered  strange- 
ly as  it  passed  through  the  trees  to  the  country  behind. 


76 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOH. 


Now  and  then  I  could  see  the  foot-prints  of  gorillas 
that  had  wandered  like  myself  through  the  woods,  but 
these  foot-prints  were  several  days  old.  I  came  to  a 
place  where  the  pine-apple  plants  were  abundant,  and 
where  the  gorillas  had  evidently  feasted  on  the  leaves, 
for  thousands  of  them  had  been  plucked  out  and  only 
the  white  part  eaten.  Here  and  there  a  young  pine-ap- 


FOOT-PBIMT8   OF  THE  GORILLA. 


pie  had  been  partly  eaten  away  by  these  hairy  men  of 
Hanno,  one  or  two  bites  taken  and  the  fruit  then  thrown 
aside. 

I  had  to  be  very  careful  in  walking  for  fear  of  mak- 
ing a  noise,  for  the  forest  not  being  dense,  gorillas  could 
have  seen  me  at  a  long  distance.  The  tondo  fruit  was 
also  abundant  throughout  the  wood. 


A  GREAT  GORILLA.  77 

After  I  had  followed  the  woods  along  the  sea-shore 
for  a  while  I  suddenly  came  to  a  place  where  a  large 
male  gorilla  had  been :  the  foot-prints  were  of  enor- 
mous size  and  he  must  have  been  a  monstrous  fellow. 

This  place  was  not  further  than  three  feet  from  the 
beach,  and  I  could  distinctly  see  by  the  foot-prints  of 
the  monster  that  it  had  been  on  all-fours  and  suddenly 
had  raised  itself  to  an  erect  posture ;  while  the  bending 
of  a  branch  about  eight  or  nine  feet  high,  just  above  the 
marks,  showed  that  the  animal  had  supported  himself  by 
it.  By  the  position  of  the  heels  I  knew  that  the  mon- 
ster had  been  looking  at  the  sea. 

Yes,  he  had  been  looking,  probably  in  great  wonder, 
at  the  broad  expanse  of  water  before  him :  he  had  seen 
the  waves  as  they  came  in  white  billows  breaking  them- 
selves on  the  beach ;  as  far  as  his  deep-sunken  gray 
eyes  could  reach  they  had  seen  nothing  but  the  ocean  : 
perhaps  he  had  also  been  looking  at  the  sun  as  it  disap- 
peared below  the  horizon. 

I  could  but  wonder  what  the  thoughts  of  that  great 
ape  might  have  been ! 

"Yes,"  said  I  to  myself,  "this  must  be  the  country 
where  Hanno  the  Carthaginian  came."  And  for  a  while  I 
thought  of  those  men  of  old  whose  history  we  learn  at 
school  or  college. 

They  have  gone,  but  they  have  left  their  mark  behind 
them,  and  will  continue  to  be  remembered  for  a  long 
time.  Then  I  put  my  feet  inside  of  the  foot-prints  of  the 
gorilla — how  small  they  did  look  when  compared  with 
those  of  the  huge  creature ! — and  for  a  while  I  stood  ex- 
actly on  the  same  spot  where  he  had  stood.  I  do  not 
know  why,  but  I  felt  a  kind  of  satisfaction  in  doing  so ; 


78  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

and  like  him  I  gazed  at  the  sea,  but,  unlike  him,  I  thought 
of  the  dear  friends  who  lived  on  the  other  side,  and  I 
blessed  them ! 

Then,  looking  carefully  at  my  gun,  I  left  the  place  and 
continued  my  ramble,  when  lo !  in  the  far  distance  I  spied 
a  gorilla !  The  beast  did  not  see  me  :  it  was  a  female, 
and  must  have  been  half  a  mile  from  the  sea.  I  hid  my- 
self behind  a  tree  in  order  to  watch  all  her  movements 
unseen.  She  was  seated  on  the  ground  before  a  cluster 
of  pine-apples,  quietly  eating  one  :  she  soon  threw  it  away 
and  plucked  some  of  the  leaves.  How  black  the  face 
was !  She  grinned  now  and  then,  probably  from  the  joy 
the  food  gave  her,  when  suddenly,  to  my  utter  astonish- 
ment, a  little  gorilla,  about  two  feet  and  a  half  in  height, 
came  running  to  its  mother,  who  gave  a  kind  of  chuckle 
that  resembled  very  much  the  click  of  the  Bushmen  of 
Southern  Africa. 

I  began  to  be  terribly  excited.  I  must  kill  the  moth- 
er and  try  to  capture  the  young  one.  How  sorry  I  was 
to  be  alone.  I  wished  my  men  had  been  with.  me. 

Unfortunately  there  were  many  intervening  trees,  and 
she  was  about  three  hundred  yards  off.  How  could  the 
bullet,  from  my  rifle  reach  her  ?  I  had  just  left  my 
place  of  concealment  when  she  perceived  me.  She  utter- 
ed a  piercing  cry  and  disappeared,  with  her  young  one 
following  her. 

When  I  returned  to  the  camp  every  body  had  gone 
except  Kombe',  who  had  been  left  in  charge.  On  my  way 
back  I  ^pok  the  sea-shore,  and  saw  on  the  beach  for  the 
first  time  the  foot-prints  made  by  the  hippopotami,  and 
I  wondered  what  they  came  to  do  so  near  the  sea.  So  I 
followed  one  and  was  surprised  to  see  their  heavy  foot- 


A   YOUNG  GORILLA. 


FEMALE   GORILLA   AUD   HKB  YOU.NG. 


steps  along  the  beach :  they  must  certainly  have  come 
there  to  bathe,  and  this  I  had  never  seen  before. 

One  fine  morning,  just  at  sunrise,  I  spied  a  sail  coming 
from  the  south.  How  glad  I  was  as  I  saw  that  sail  com- 
ing nearer  and  nearer ! 

I  knew  that  white  men  were  on  board ! 

The  canoe  which  my  men  had  fetched  from  Amimbri 
lay  on  the  beach  ready  to  be  launched :  the  men  were 
there  with  their  paddles  ready.  Eatenou  was  in  com- 
mand and  waiting  for  my  orders. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  I  had  left  the  flag  at  Wash- 
ington !  How  sorry  I  felt ! 

A  long  pole  which  Kombe  had  cut  was  brought,  and 


80  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  JHQUATOH. 

instead  of  the  flag  one  of  my  white  shirts  was  tied  to  its 
top  by  the  sleeves,  and  then  the  pole  was  elevated,  and 
soon  the  shirt  floated  in  the  shape  of  a  flag. 

The  vessel  came  nearer  and  nearer  the  shore,  and  I 
could  soon  make  out  that  it  was  a  whaler :  there  was  no 
mistake  about  it,  for  I  could  see  the  whale-boats. 

With  my  spy-glass  I  looked  and  saw  the  white  faces 
of  the  men. 

The  ship  hoisted  its  flag,  and  the  stars  and  stripes  of 
the  great  Republic  displayed  themselves.  A  wild  hur- 
rah from  me  greeted  their  appearance,  and  my  men  gave 
three  cheers. 

The  breakers  were  heavy,  very  heavy,  but  we  must 
go  on  board ;  I  must  hear  the  news ;  I  must  see  the  face 
of  a  white  man — I  who  had  been  so  long  away  from  civ- 
ilization, from  my  kindred,  and  from  the  world. 

"  Boys,  let  us  try  !"  I  shouted  with  excitement ;  "  let  us 
go  on  board  I" 

All  the  voices  of  my  men  shouted,  "  Let  us  try  !"  and 
immediately  the  canoe  came  down  the  beach,  five  men 
on  each  side  paddle  in  hand,  Eatenou  and  I  standing  by 
the  stern. 

We  were  watching  an  opportunity  when  the  angry 
billows  should  calm  down  and  there  should  be  a  lull. 
The  lull  came,  and  almost  as  quick  as  lightning  the 
canoe  was  in  the  sea  and  we  were  off.  My  men  paddled 
as  hard  as  they  could  in  order  to  pass  the  surf  before  the 
heavy  rollers  should  break  again. 

But  lo!  when  we  were  about  midway,  the  face  of 
Ratenou  changed  color,  for  from  far  away  came  one  of 
those  heavy  swells  that,  as  he  knew,  would  gradually 
change  itself  into  a  heavy  roller  as  it  neared  the  shore, 


A  GREAT  GORILLA.  81 

and  in  breaking  dash  to  pieces  all  that  came  in  contact 
with  it  If  that  roller  broke  before  it  reached  us,  how- 
ever, all  would  be  right. 

It  came  on,  rising  and  rising,  when  suddenly  Ratenou 
said — "  Commi,  you  are  men !  Let  us  take  care  of  our 
white  man !" 

Then  the  paddles  stood  still ;  the  roller  crested  and 
broke  right  upon  our  canoe,  upsetting  it  with  fearful 
force,  and  whirling  us  round  and  round.  I  was  stunned 
by  the  force  of  the  waves ;  breaker  after  breaker  came 
dashing  upon  us,  one  after  the  other,  but  the  faithful 
Commi  men  were  there,  shouting  one  to  another — "  Let 
us  take  care  of  our  white  man  !"  Ratenou,  Kombe,  and 
Oshimbo  were  swimming  under  me;  I  was  surrounded 
by  them  all ;  good,  noble  fellows  they  were.  At  last 
we  reached  the  shore.  I  looked  round.  Every  man 
was  there  ;  no  one  had  been  drowned  ;  no  one  had  had 
his  head  smashed  by  the  upsetting  of  the  canoe.  With 
a  grateful  heart  I  thanked  God  for  his  goodness  to  us 
all.  The  tide  was  coming  up,  and  our  canoe  and  pad- 
dles were  soon  thrown  on  the  beach  by  the  force  of  the 
waves  and  the  current. 

I  looked  at  that  vessel,  and  how  sorry  when  I 
gradually  its  white  sails  became  dimmer  and  dimmer  in 
the  distance.  At  last  it  disappeared,  and  with  a  heavy 
sigh  I  made  for  the  camp. 

If  you  had  been  in  a  strange  land  amid  savages,  I 
am  sure  you  would  have  felt  as  I  did  then. 
"  D2 


CHAPTER  X. 

DEATH    IN    AN    AFRICAN   VILLAGE. LAMENTATIONS. THE 

FUNERAL   CEREMONIES. — AN   AFRICAN   CEMETERY. 

WHAT  a  strange  thing  is  an  African  funeral!  In  a 
town  on  the  banks  of  the  Rembo,  called  Conaco,  where  I 
had  just  arrived  in  my  canoe,  a  man  was  very  ill.  These 
poor  savages  seemed  to  be  very  sorry  for  him,  but  did 
not  know  what  to  do.  If  I  remember  aright,  the  name 
of  that  man  was  Irende.  He  had  been-  a  great  warrior 
and  a  great  hunter,  but  disease  had  laid  him  prostrate, 
though  he  was  still  a  young  man. 

The  next  day  a  great  many  people  came  into  the  vil- 
lage with  their  tam-tams,  or  drums,  and  different  sorts  of 
musical  instruments.  They  were  to  try  if  they  could 
not  drive  the  devil  away.  With  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
a  few  guns  had  been  obtained,  and  also  some  powder,  in 
order  to  make  more  noise. 

In  the  evening  the  people  entered  the  hut  of  Irende 
and  began  to  sing.  The  drummers  had  already  gone  in- 
side and  were  beating  their  drums  most  furiously ;  a  few 
broken  brass  kettles  added  their  noise  to  that  of  the 
drums ;  some  beat  sticks  on  pieces  of  wood.  In  fact, 
every  body  tried  to  make  all  the  noise  he  could.  At 
last  those  who  had  the  guns  came  and  fired  them  close 
to  the  ears  of  the  poor  fellow,  and  also  near  his  stom- 


DEATH  IN  A   VILLAGE.  83 

ach,  where  the  abambo  (the  devil)  was  supposed  to  be. 
I  could  not  stay  more  than  five  minutes  in  the  hut,  for 
the  din  was  too  great  for  me.  They  wanted  to  drive 
the  abambo  out  of  the  poor  sick  man  so  that  he  might  get 
well.  But  all  the  drumming  they  did,  all  the  mbuiti 
(idol)  had  said  concerning  his  recovery,  all  the  care  his 
wives,  sisters  and  his  mother  bestowed  upon  him,  were 
of  no  avail. 

The  poor  fellow  died  the  second  day  after  my  arrival, 
right  in  the  midst  of  the  drumming,  just  a  few  min- 
utes after  the  guns  had  been  fired  near  his  ears  and  stom- 
ach. It  was  midnight  when  he  died.  I  was  in  my  hut, 
which  was  not  far  off,  when  suddenly  there  burst  from 
one  end  of  the  Village  to  the  other  a  wail  that  told  me 
the  sad  story.  Irende  was  dead  ! 

What  a  wail  it  was !  It  went  right  to  my  heart,  it  was 
so  piercing,  so  heart-rending ;  I  could  not  help  but  feel 
sorry  for  these  poor  people.  The  wailing  and  the  mourn- 
ing-songs lasted  all  night ;  there  was  no  sleep  for  me. 

In  the  morning  I  was  led  once  more  to  the  house 
where  the  body  was  laid.  The  room  was  crowded: 
women  from  all  the  villages  round  had  come,  and  they 
were  all  seated  on  the  floor.  There  must  have  been 
about  three  hundred  of  them,  and  they  were  singing 
mournful  songs  to  doleful  and  monotonous  airs.  The 
tears  were  running  down  their  cheeks.  The  wives  of 
the  poor  fellow,  ten  in  number,  had  shaven  their  hair, 
had  taken  off  their  garments  and  were  almost  naked, 
and  they  bad  rubbed  their  bodies  with  ashes.  Their 
anklets  and  bracelets  had  been  removed,  and  round  their 
necks  they  wore  a  piece  of  native  cord  indicating  that 
they  were  widows  and  in  mourning. 


B4 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOH. 


At  length  through  the  thick  crowd  I  discovered  the 
body  of  Irende.  It  was  seated  on  a  stool,  the  back  lean- 
ing against  the  wall.  It  was  dressed  in  an  old  coat,  and 
by  its  side  was  a  harp — for  Irende  had  the  reputation 
of  being  a  great  musician ;  there  also  lay  his  spear  and 
his  gun,  which  weje  to  be  buried  with  him. 

His  wives  were  round  him,  talking,  begging  him  to 


MOURNING   TilE  BEAD. 


speak  to  them,  and  then  silence  followed.  No  answer 
came.  Then  there  burst  forth  a  heart-piercing  wail. 
"  He  is  dead !  he  is  dead !"  they  shouted.  "  His  lips 
will  speak  to  us  no  more ;  he  will  not  hunt  for  us  any 
more ;  he  will  play  no  more  on  the  wombi  for  us !"  Then 
all  ended  in  a  long  plaintive  song. 

The  mother  came,  and  kneeling  before  him  took  hold 


AN  AFHICAN  FUNERAL.  85 

of  his  feet,  which  is  the  most  supplicating  manner  of  ad- 
dress in  Africa ;  she  looked  in  his  face  and  said  in  a  very 
plaintive  voice — "  My  son,  you  have  not  spoken  to  your 
wives,  but  I  know  you  will  speak  to  your  mother. 
You  will  say  to  her  that  you  are  not  dead." 

The  same  silence  ensued. 

They  all  waited  in  vain  for  an  answer  for  a  few 
minutes;  then  the  poor  mother  rolled  herself  on  the 
ground  at  her  son's  feet,  shrieked  and  cried,  and  said — 
"  Irende,  why  do  you  not  speak  to  your  mother  ?"  The 
poor  mother's  shrieks  were  so  long,  so  piercing,  and  she 
uttered  such  a  wail  of  grief,  that  the  tears  came  into  my 
eyes.  The  poor  African  mother  had  a  heart ! 

As  I  left  the  hut,  thinking  how  strangely  the  mind  of 
man  is  constituted,  the  wailing  continued,  and  was  to  be 
kept  up  until  the  burial  of  the  corpse. 

The  day  of  the  funeral  came,  and  we  went  to  the  bu- 
rial-ground. As  the  body  left  the  village  and  was  put 
into  a  canoe,  the  wailing  was  tremendous.  The  men 
that  were  to  paddle  were  all  painted,  almost  naked,  and 
covered  with  fetiches.  The  drum  beat  as  we  descended 
the  stream. 

As  we  approached  the  burial-ground  (for  these  Corn- 
mi  have  a  sort  of  cemetery)  all  became  silent.  Not  a 
word  was  said;  they  prayed  Ovengua  not  to  get  hold  of 
them,  and  the  corpse  was  left  on  the  sand,  a  certain 
amount  of  which  was  thrown  over  it  His  wombi  was 
laid  by  his  side,  his  gun  and  his  spear  were  placed  in  his 
hand,  and  necklaces  and  ornaments  were  left  with  him. 
A  cooked  dish  of  plantain  and  ajar  of  water  were  placed 
beside  him,  so  that  he  might  drink  and  eat  if  he  chose, 
then  all  was  over  and  we  came  away. 


86  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

What  a  strange  burial-ground  it  was!  It  was  situ- 
ated on  a  prairie,  with  no  trees  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
poles  were  the  only  signs  that  could  show  it  to  be  a  cem- 
etery. Here  and  there  a  grim  skeleton  could  be  seen,  and 
the  remains  of  things  that  had  accompanied  the  deceased 
men  and  women  to  the  grave. 


CHAPTER  XL 

A   TORNADO. — BEFORE    THE    STORM. — THUNDER   AND   LIGHT- 
NING.— AFTER   THE    STORM. 

WE  had  just  returned  to  our  camp  in  the  forest. 
The  day  was  intensely  warm ;  the  rays  of  the  sun  pour- 
ed down  upon  mother-earth  with  fearful  force;  in  the 
forest  all  was  silent  as  death,  for  Nature  herself  seemed 
prostrated. 

We  were  in  the  season  of  the  tornadoes — the  latter 
part  of  the  month  of  March. 

The  light  air  that  we  had,  had  ceased.  The  horizon 
toward  the  north-east  grew  black ;  at  first  a  black  spot 
had  appeared  only  a  little  above  the  horizon,  then  grad- 
ually rose  higher  and  higher.  The  sight  of  this  token 
inspired  awe.  The  wind  was  blowing  from  the  opposite 
direction.  The  white  and  fleecy  clouds  that  were  hang- 
ing in  the  atmosphere  as  they  came  near  the  black 
spot  gradually  stopped,  and  were  slowly  absorbed  into 
black  cloud. 

I  looked  anxiously  on.  To  a  stranger  the  appearance 
of  the  sky  showed  that  a  fearful  storm  was  coming. 

The  birds  began  to  fly  in  the  air  in  a  frightened  man- 
ner; my  goats  began  t6  seek  for  shelter;  the  hens  hid 
in  the  huts ;  the  dogs  also  sought  shelter ;  and  the  peo- 
ple were  returning  in  hot  haste  from  the  plantations. 


88  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

Every  living  thing  seemed  .to  know  what  was  con- 
ing :  even  in  the  far  distance  I  could  hear  the  roar  of  the 
gorilla. 

The  black  spot  gradually  rose  and  formed  a  semicir- 
cle, while  now  and  then  the  distant  sound  of  thunder 
came  upon  our  ears,  warning  us  of  the  approaching 
storm. 

At  last  not  a  breath  of  air  could  be  detected,  and  in 
an  instant  a  white  spot  rose  under  the  black  horizon, 
and  instantaneously  scattered  it  into  a  thousand  clouds. 
How  wild  and  lurid  the  sky  suddenly  appeared!  In 
less  than  two  minutes  it  was  one  mass  of  blackness,  the 
clouds  fleeing  with  terrible  velocity,  driven  away  by  the 
white  spot,  which  now  increased  to  huge  dimensions. 
The  tops  of  the  trees  began  to  sway  rapidly,  and  before 
we  knew  it  the  fearful  wind  was  upon  us.  Our  little 
houses  were  unroofed,  and  the  wind  came  with  a  violence 
that  was  quite  appalling.  The  limbs  of  the  trees  broke 
down  first,  then  the  trees  themselves,  and  as  they  fell 
each  brought  down  half  a  dozen  others  with  it,  which  in 
falling  occasioned  a  booming  sound  that  resounded  from 
hill  to  hill.  The  monkeys  became  frightened,  and  their 
wild  chattering  indicated  that  they  were  filled  with  ter- 
ror. It  was  indeed  a  wild  and  terrible  spectacle. 

Flashes  of  lightning  were  followed  by  terrific  claps 
of  thunder.  The  first  clap  brought  me  upon  my  feet,  for 
I  thought  the  lightning  must  have  struck  some  of  us. 
I  was  almost  blinded  by  the  flash.  What  a  terrific  re- 
port followed !  It  came  on  sudden  and  sharp  like  the 
firing  of  a  cannon,  and  made  my  ears  ring  and  ring  till  I 
thought  I  should  be  deafened. 

This  was  followed  by  other  terrific  claps  of  thunder 


THUNDER  AND  LIGHTNING.  91 

and  flashes  of  lightning  which  seemed  to  illuminate  the 
whole  sky,  accompanied  by  a  pouring  rain,  a  rain  so 
dense  that  one  might  have  fancied  the  skies  to  have  been 
rent  in  two.  Finally  the  wind  ceased,  and,  thank  God ! 
had  only  lasted  about  ten  minutes,  though  turning  all 
round  the  compass.  The  rain,  thunder  and  lightning- 
still  continued.  Such  a  storm  I  had  seldom  witnessed 
even  in  this  region  of  thunder  and  tornado.  Wherever 
I  turned,  the  bright  light  in  the  skies  met  my  eyes :  from 
the  West  to  the  North,  from  the  North  to  the  East,  and 
from  the  East  to  the  South. 

The  flashes  of  lightning  were  horizontal,  of  tre- 
mendous glare  and  length,  and  zigzag ;  sometimes  they 
were  perpendicular.  For  hours  and  hours  the  boom  of 
thunder  went  on,  fearful  claps  bursting  from  every 
corner  of  the  sky  without  intermission.  There  was 
scarcely  a  moment's  interval  between  the  reports.  I 
took  special  pains  to  notice  this  fact. 

The  sound  of  the  thunder  seemed  to  come  from  all 
round  the  sky ;  the  whole  of  the  heavens  seemed  to  be 
a  sea  of  fire.  What  could  be  more  sublime,  in  the 
whole  domain  of  Nature,  than  this  grand  storm  in  these 
equatorial  regions  of  Africa?  It  was  worth  coming 
from  our  milder  climate  to  see  it,  to  behold  this  war 
of  the  elements,  to  hear  such  claps  of  thunder,  to  see 
such  torrents  of  rain  pouring  down. 

Though  filled  with  awe  and  a  dread  of  I  did  not 
know  what,  I  looked  on  till  my  eyes  were  almost  blind- 
ed ;  I  listened  and  listened  until  my  ears  were  deafened 
by  the  appalling  noise  of  the  thunder.  I  am  certain  that 
no  country  can  boast  of  more  fearful  thunder  than  these 
equatorial  and  mountainous  regions  of  Western  Africa. 


92  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

At  last,  after  a  few  hours,  the  claps  of  thunder  became 
less  terrible,  and  there  were  greater  intervals  between 
the  flashes  of  lightning,  which  began  to  diminish  in 
brightness.  Gradually  the  storm  ceased,  the  clouds  dis- 
appeared, and  the"  bluest  of  skies  was  disclosed  overhead. 
What  a  deep  blue  it  was ;  how  beautiful,  how  lovely, 
how  pure,  and  how  serene  I 

0  God,  how  great  thou  art !  I  said  to  myself.     What 
is  man  that  thou  lookest  down  upon  him  ?     He  is  a  creat- 
ure of  thy  hands. 

The  stars  shone  with  all  their  brightness.  At  that 
time  of  the  year  the  southern  heaven  was  in  its  full 
beauty.  All  the  constellations  of  the  Southern  Hemi- 
sphere were  in  view,  and  the  whole  sky  seemed  to  be  in 
a  perfect  blaze  of  light.  How  beautiful  and  resplendent 
the  Milky  Way  looked !  Being  not  far  from  the  equa- 
tor, I  could  see  also  many  of  the  northern  constellations. 

The  constellation  of  the  Great  Bear  was  in  full  sight, 
and  reminded  me  of  my  northern  home,  of  dear  friends, 
of  joys  that  have  gone,  of  friendships  which  distance 
could  not  kill,  of  boys  and  girls  I  knew,  and  I  wonder- 
ed if  sometimes  they  thought  of  me  as  I  thought  of 
them. 

1  was  wet  through;  for  our  fires  had  been  extinguish- 
ed and  we  had  the  greatest  trouble  to  light  them  again ; 
and  during  the  night  nothing  was  heard  but  the  mourn- 
ful cries  of  the  owl  and  now  and  then  the  disagreeable 
howl  of  the  hyena. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A    CREEK    INFESTED    BY    SNAKES. — SNAKE    IN    THE    BOAT. — 
AN    UGLY   VISITOR. 

IT  is  intensely  hot.  We  are  at  the  end  of  the  month 
of  March,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  pouring  upon  us 
with  a  power  which  is  terrific.  Every  two  or  three 
minutes  I  dip  my  umbrella  into  the  water,  for  after  this 
lapse  of  time  it  is  perfectly  dry;  green  leaves  and  a 
wet  handkerchief  are  in  my  Panama  hat,  which  now  and 
then  I  also  dip  into  the  water  of  the  stream. 

You  will  ask  me  in  what  kind  of  country  I  find  my- 
self in  such  a  plight.  I  am  in  a  very  complicated  net- 
work of  creeks,  swamps,  dense  forest,  and  overflowed 
lands,  forming  a  delta,  which  in  the  work  I  publish- 
ed in  1861 1  named  the  Delta  of  the  Ogobai.  For  several 
days  I  have  been  here  in  a  canoe  exploring  the  country 
by  water.  What  a  lonely  place !  We  have  not  seen  a 
single  village,  we  have  met  not  a  single  human  being ; 
it  is  a  complete  desolation,  and  on  the  day  in  question 
it  seemed  more  desolate  than  usual.  The  creek  we  had 
got  into  was  narrow,  and  on  both  sides  there  was  an  in- 
terminable forest  of  palms,  that  kind  which  yields  bitter 
nuts  to  eat;  these  grow  to  the  water's-edge  and  many 
of  their  graceful  branches  are  bathed  in  the  stream. 

The  current  was  strong,  and  evidently  a  tremendous 


94  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

quantity  of  fresh  water  coming  from  the  interior  was  car- 
ried by  it  into  the  sea. 

The  atmosphere  was  hazy,  and,  as  is  generally  the 
case  in  those  equatorial  regions,  I  could  see  the  vapor 
arising  and  quivering  as  it  ascended. 

At  last  we  entered  a  narrow  creek,  where  the  current 
was  not  so  strong.  We  had  hardly  proceeded  two 
or  three  miles  when  snakes  became  quite  abundant  in 
the  water.  We  were  in  the  Creek  of  Snakes.  I  do  not 
know  what  else  to  call  it. 

What  a  horrid  sight!  They  were  of  all  colors  and 
sizes:  some  were  small  and  slender,  others  short  and 
thick.  One  peculiar  kind  struck  me  at  once  as  one  that 
I  had  never  seen  before.  It  swam  not  far  from  our  ca- 
noe, and  appeared  to  be  of  a  bright  orange-yellow  color. 
I  am  sure  it  was  a  very  venomous  one,  one  whose  bite 
would  kill  a  man  in  less  than  five  minutes,  for  the  head 
was  very  triangular.  Then  came  a  large  black  one  with 
a  yellow  stripe  on  the  belly ;  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  ten 
feet  long ;  the  black  shone  as  if  it  had  been  oiled.  This 
fellow  I  also  knew  to  be  very  poisonous;  so  when  he 
raised  his  head  above  the  water  I  sent  a  load  of  small 
shot  into  it,  literally  crushing  it  to  pieces.  Then  we  went 
immediately  at  him,  and  with  a  few  strokes  of  the  pad- 
dles we  finished  him  up.  I  was  .going  to  make  off, 
when  two  of  the  slaves  who  were  of  our  party  said  we 
must  put  it  in  our  canoe,  and  that  they  should  eat  the 
fellow  in  the  evening.  This  created  a  great  laugh  from 
my  Commi  boys,  and  after  making  sure  that  the  loath- 
some creature  was  dead  we  fished  him  out  of  the  water. 
There  was  at  first  a  jumping  about  of  the  men  which  I 
was  afraid  would  upset  the  canoe,  in  which  case  we 


IN  THE  CREEK  OF  SERPENTS. 


95 


would  have  been  in  a  pretty  fix,  swimming  about  in  a 
stream  filled  with  snakes.  At  last  order  was  restored ; 
the  snake  was  cut  into  several  pieces,  which  continued  to 
move  and  almost  appeared  like  several  separate  snakes. 
The  pieces  were  put  in  a  basket,  and  the  eyes  of  my 
Apingis  began  to  shine  with  delight,  and  it  made  their 
mouths  water,  they  said,  to  think  of  the  nice  meal  they 
were  going  to  have  in  the  evening. 


Urn 


IN   TUB  CBEEK   OK   b.NAKi.». 


Jast  at  this  moment  I  spied  one  of  these  black  snakes 
trying  to  get.  into,  our  canoe  by  the  bow.  I  made  a 
tremendous  leap,  as  if  I  had  been  bitten  by  a  scorpion, 
the  sight  was  so  sudden.  I  took  my  gun,  loaded  with 
small  shot — the  best  load  to  kill  serpents  with — and 
fired,  cutting  the  saucy  fellow  in  two ;  then  we  paddled 
on,  leaving  master  snake  to  take  care  of  himself,  know- 
ing that  his  case t had  been  settled. 


96  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

\  really  believe  all  the  snakes  of  the  country  had 
come  to  bathe  in  this  creek  on  that  day,  and  I  did  not 
wonder  at  it,  it  was  so  hot  and  sultry.  I  had  often  met 
with  snakes  in  the  river  before,  but  never  in  such  great 
numbers  and  of  so  many  different  species.  In  little  more 
than  one  hour  and  a  half  I  must  have  seen  two  hundred 
of  them.  I  had  never  seen  such  a  sight  before  and 
never  have  since. 

Snakes  are  nasty  things !  I  do  not  like  them  at  all. 
They  will  never  be  my  pets.  But  there  is  a  country  in 
the  Bight  of  Benin  where  snakes  can  not  be  killed,  un- 
der penalty  of  death. 

The  sun  began  to  go  down,  and  as  we  paddled  along 
we  looked  for  a  dry  place  on  the  shore  where  we  might 
spend  the  night.  The  snakes  had  disappeared,  and  none 
were  to  be  seen  in  the  water.  Of  that  circumstance  I 
was  very  glad. 

To  find  a  dry  place  was  not  an  easy  matter,  for  the 
land  was  low,  swampy,  and  overflowed.  The  prospect  of 
sleeping  in  the  canoe  and  of  being  eaten  up  by.mus- 
quitoes  was  not  very  Cheering  to  my  spirits.  But  the 
men  knew  a  place  where  all  the  year  rl5und  there  was  a 
dry  spot,  and  where  they  often  stopped  when  fishing ;  but 
we  must  pull  very  hard  in  order  to  reach  there  before 
dark.  As  none  of  us  wished  to  sleep  in  the  canoe,  the 
fellows  paddled  as  hard  as  they  could,  and  by  half-past 
five  o'clock  we  reached  the  place. 

It  was  sunset  at  six  o'clock,  so  that  we  had  plenty  of 
time  to  fix  our  camp. 

The  place  was  dreary  enough  and  not  very  safe,  to 
judge  from  the  foot-prints  of  wild  beasts  that  had  come 
prowling  about  there,  among  which  I  could  see  distinct- 


CAMPING  OUT.  97 

ly  the  tracks  of  what  must  have  been  an  enormous  leop- 
ard.    Happily  we  had  plenty  of  fire-wood  in  our  canoe. 

The  spot  where  we  were  to  spend  the  night  was  mis- 
erable :  the  ground  was  damp,  and  it  was  also  dirty,  for 
there  were  bones  of  fishes  and  wild  animals,  the  skins  of 
plantains  scattered  all  over,  and  the  remains  of  extin- 
guished fires.  The  whole  country  seemed  to  be  nothing 
but  bog  land. 

The  first  thing  we  did  was  to  attend  to  our  mus- 
quito-nets.  We  cut  the  large  branches  of  the  palm 
and  stuck  four  of  them  into  the  ground  to  hang  our  nets 
upon.  How  to  sleep  ?  this  was  the  next  great  question. 
I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  sleeping  on  the  bare  ground  in 
a  country  where  snakes  were  abundant.  But  what  was 
to  be  done?  It  was  getting  late,  so  reluctantly  I  cut 
the  leaves  of  the  palm,  put  them  thick  one  upon  the 
other,  and  then  laid  my  mat  over  the  whole;  my  men 
did  the  same ;  the  fires  were  lighted — about  which  we 
had  some  trouble,  for  my  matches  were  wet.  During 
the  day,  it  being  so  warm,  I  had  been  afraid  to  carry 
them  in  my  pocket  or  put  them  iri^i  place  where  the  sun 
shone,  for  fear  that  they  would  light  of  themselves.  I 
had  therefore  placed  them  under  the  seat,  and  they  had 
dropped  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  So  we  had  to 
use  our  flints  and  tinder. 

When  night  came  our  fires  were  blazing,  and  the 
sight  of  our  camp  was  curious  in  the  extreme.  I  was 
quietly  lying  between  two  immense  fires,  which  almost 
surrounded  me,  for  I  had  a  lively  fear  of  the  snakes  and 
I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  one  coming  round  me  at  night. 
It  is  strange  how  it  is  possible  to  enjoy  a  fire  in  the 
woods  in  this  damp  and  warm  climate. 
E 


98  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

My  men  killed  one  of  the  three  fowls  I  had  with  ne ; 
others  took  off  the  skins  from  the  plantains,  while  the 
rest  were  preparing  to  boil  the  dry  fish  which  we  had  in 
great  abundance,  for  before  entering  the  Delta  of  the 
Ogobai  we  had  gone  on  a  fishing  excursion. 

Our  cooking  implements  consisted  of  a  kettle  for  boil- 
ing the  plantains,  which,  by  the  way,  was  getting  to  be 
much  worn  out,  and  my  men  were  beginning  to  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  it  should  be  broken  so  that  I 
would  give  it  to  them  to  make  bracelets  of;  and  two 
cooking-pots,  one  especially  for  my  use  and  the  other 
for  the  use  of  the  men ;  I  also  had  a  frying-pan,  but  noth- 
ing had  been  fried  in  it  since  I  had  it,  for  want  of  lard  or 
oil.  Our  entire  cooking  operations  consisted  of  boiling 
or  roasting  over  a  charcoal  fire. 

The  two  poor  fellows  with  the  snake  had  no  pot  to 
cook  it  in,  my  Commi  men  objecting  strongly  to  have 
any  thing  of  the  kind  cooked  in  such  a  vessel.  The 
Apingis  were  much  downhearted,  for  they  had  antici- 
pated much  pleasure  from  their  snake-broth,  the  snake 
being,  they  said,  very  fat.  They  had  on  hand  a  little 
salt  and  a  little  Cayenne  pepper.  It  would  have  tasted 
so  good !  So  they  had  to  be  satisfied  with  roasting  the 
snake  over  the  fire. 

After  our  meal  I  opened  my  chest  to  get  some  tobac- 
co. This  of  course  "brought  down  the  house,"  and 
they  seemed  perfectly  happy  after  their  hard  day's  work, 
for  the  poor  fellows  had  worked  very  hard. 

They  seated  themselves  round  the  fires,  smoked  their 
pipes,  and  gradually  one  by  one  fell  asleep.  It  was 
a  fortunate  thing  we  had  musquito-nets,  for  I  could 
hear  these  insects  buzzing  about  in  such  a  manner  that 


SNAKES  BY  NIGHT.  99 

one  might  have  almost  thought  a  band  of  music  was 
playing  in  the  neighborhood. 

At  length  I  wrapped  myself  well  in  my  blanket 
and  went  to  sleep.  But  lo !  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
I  was  -awakened  by  the  cackling  of  one  of  the  fowls, 
which  was  tied  by  the  leg  to  a  stick  we  had  put  on 
the  ground.  I  popped  my  head  out  of  my  musqui- 
to-net,  when  I  beheld  by  the  glow  of  the  fire  an  enor- 
mous python  (or  snake),  a  tremendous  big  fellow,  who 
had  just  come  out  of  the  water  and  was  about  to  gobble 
up  one  of  the  two  fowls,  and  would  have  swallowed 
both  of  them  if  it  had  had  time  to  do  so.  No  others 
were  aroused  by  the  noise  the  fowls  made,  so  I  quietly 
took  my  gun  that  laid  alongside  of  me,  and  sent  two 
loads  into  the  python,  which  settled  him. 

My  men  jumped  up  in  alarm,  seized  their  guns,  and 
looked  as  warlike  as  possible.  They  thought  we  were 
attacked  unawares  by  some  Oroungou  fellows,  and  set 
up  a  wild  yell  of  defiance,  which  was  responded  to  by  a 
most  hearty  laugh  on  my  part.  In  the  mean  time  the 
defeated  boa  had  moved  about  in  the  midst  of  us  and 
sent  all  the  fellows  off,  just  as  they  were  asking,  "  Who 
has  been  killed  by  that  gun  ?"  and  I  shouted  in  reply, 
"  This  enormous  snake." 

My  two  Apingi  fellows'  eyes  brightened  as  they 
thought  of  the  good  food  they  were  going  to  have,  and 
said — "  Ah !  ah !  if  we  had  only  known  we  should  have 
brought  a  cooking-pot  of  our  own ;  we  would  have  had 
such  nice  snake-broth  all  the  time !"  This  snake  meas- 
ured almost  sixteen  feet  in  length,  and  would  have  kept 
the  fellows  in  broth  for  a  long  while. 

We  went  to  sleep  again,  leaving  the  two  Apingis 


100  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

busily  engaged  in  cutting  the  boa  into  small  pieces  and 
in  roasting  some  of  it  over  the  fire. 

The  next  morning  when  I  awoke  the  sun  was  bright ; 
a  kind  of  vapor  was  rising  from  the  waters  of  the  Delta 
of  the  Ogobai,  and  all  Nature  was  still.  I  could  not  hear 
the  song  of  a  single  bird  or  the  chatter  of  a  single  mon- 
key; now  and  then  a  fishing-eagle  passed  over  our 
heads,  and  the  whole  scene  presented  was  one  of  desola- 
tion. 

We  cooked  our  breakfast,  and  immediately  after  our 
meal  we  again  set  out  and  soon  entered  a  very  narrow 
creek — so  narrow  in  some  places  that  the  trees  on  the 
two  banks  were  so  close  together  that  we  had  trouble  in 
passing  through  with  our  canoe ;  in  one  place  I  thought 
it  would  be  utterly  impossible. 

At  last  we  emerged  into  the  waters  of  the  Npoulou- 
lay  and  soon  after  found  ourselves  on  the  broad  and 
placid  waters  of  the  Fernand  Yaz,  coming  in  sight  of  my 
settlement  at  Washington. 

A  thrill  of  joy  filled  my  heart  when  I  saw  my  little 
settlement,  for  I  was  tired  and  worn  out,  and  I  needed  a 
little  rest — a  little  comfort  in  a  plain  way.  I  wanted  to 
see  my  plantation,  to  see  how  it  had  grown  since  we 
parted,  and  if  my  stock  of  fowls  had  increased  by  new 
broods,  or  I  could  get  a  little  milk  from  my  goats. 
Then  I  wanted  to  see  good  King  Ranpano  and  his 
brother  Rinkimongani  and  all  the  good  folks  of  Biaga- 
no.  They  were  there  on  the  shore  ready  to  receive 
me.  They  were  honest,  straightforward  people. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DEINEJNG  THE  MBOTJNDOU. — HOW  OLANGA-CONDO  COULD  DO 

IT.  —  HOW  THE   MBOUNDOU   IS   MADE. THE   EFFECT   OF 

THE   POISON. 

WHAT  a  wild  scene  I  beheld ;  one  which  had  never 
been  seen  before  by  any  white  man ! 

Olanga-Condo,  a  mighty  ouganga  (doctor),  was  to 
drink  the  mboundou.  What  an  awful  poison  this  mboun- 
dou  is !  Nevertheless,  Olanga-Condo  could  drink  it ; 
yes,  he  could  drink  it  by  bowlfuls,  one  of  which  was 
more  than  sufficient  to  kill  any  man  or  woman. 

You  will  ask  me,  How  is  it  that  Olanga-Condo  could 
drink  this  mboundou  and  that  other  people  could  not? 
I  suppose  he  accustomed  his  body  to  it  by  drinking  it 
little  by  little  from  his  childhood,  but  of  course  he  would 
not  tell  any  one  how  he  could  drink  it  without  being 
hurt. 

The  strange  scene  took  place  at  Goumbi. 

King  Quengueza  had  a  dream,  and  in  that  dream  he 
saw  that  there  were  people  who  were  aniemba  (wizards), 
and  who  wished  to  take  his  life.  So  he  rose  in  the 
morning  possessed  with  the  belief  that  such  designs  were 
entertained  against  him.  His  already  stern  countenance 
became  harsher,  and  the  good  old  chief  began  to  dread 
those  around  him.  It  was  useless  for  me  to  tell  him 


102  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

that  there  were  no  such  people  as  wizards,  and  that  no 
living  being  had  power  to  kill  another  by  witchcraft. 

He  became  suspicious  of  his  dearest  friends.  His  near- 
est relatives,  he  thought,  were  those  who  wanted  to  get  rid 
of  him  in  order  to  get  his  wives,  slaves,  ivory,  and  goods. 

What  a  terrible  superstition  this  belief  in  witchcraft 
is !  The  father  dreads  his  children,  the  son  his  father 
and  mother,  the  man  his  wife,  and  the  wives  their  hus- 
bands. A  man  fancies  himself  sick ;  he  imagines  the 
sickness  has  been  brought  upon  him  by  those  who 
want  him  out  of  the  way,  and  at  last  becomes  sick 
through  his  fears.  At  night  he  fancies  himself  surround- 
ed by  the  aniemba  who  are  prowling  round  his  huts,  and 
that  evil  spirits  are  ready  to  enter  into  him  as  he  comes 
out ;  and  if  this  should  happen  he  believes  that  disease 
and  death  are  surely  near. 

So  Quengueza  covered  himself  with  fetiches,  and  every 
day  invoked  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors---Igoumbai,  Eica- 
ti,  Kombi,  and  Niavi  (his  mother) — to  protect  him  from 
the  aniemba.  How  strangely  his  voice  sounded  in  the 
silence  of  the  night !  One  could  not  but  be  awed  by  it. 

Every  morning  he  told  the  wonderful  and  frightful 
dreams  he  had — for  these  people  believe  in  dreams — and 
he  was  so  convinced  that  the  village  was  full  of  wicked 
sorcerers,  that  at  last  the  whole  people  became  infected 
by  his  fears,  each  one  thinking  that  his  life  was  at  stake. 
Hence  the  ouganga,  Olanga-Condo,  had  been  ordered  by 
the  King  to  drink  the  mboundou,  and  then  tell  the  names 
of  the  sorcerers. 

The  leading  people  of  Goumbi  had  met,  and  protest- 
ed that  no  one  wanted  to  bewitch  their  king ;  they  all 
wanted  him  to  live  to  the  end  of  time. 


HOW  THE  MBOUNDOU  IS  MADE.  103 

Now  they  all  sat  in  a  circle  on  the  ground ;  each  man 
had  a  short  stick  in  his  hand  ;  and  Olanga-Condo  was  to 
take  his  position  in  the  centre  and  drink  the  mboundou  in 
their  presence.  * 

In  the  mean  time  I  had  assisted  in  the  operation  of 
making  the  mboundou,  an  operation  which  the  drinker 
does  not  witness.  A  few  red  roots  of  the  plant  called  by 
them  the  mboundou  were  brought  in,  and  the  bark  was 
scraped  off  by  several  of  the  natives  into  a  vessel ;  into 
this  a  pint  of  water  was  poured,  and  in  about  a  minute 
fermentation  took  place,  and  the  beverage  effervesced  al- 
most like  champagne.  The  water  soon  became  quite 
red,  and  was  the  very  color  of  the  bark  when  the  effer- 
vescing ceased.  Two  of  Olanga-Condo's  friends  were 
present  during  this  operation  to  see  that  all  was  fair. 


TUB  MBOUNDOU. 


When  the  mixture  was  ready  Olanga-.Condo  came, 
went  to  the  centre  of  the  circle,  and  the  bowl  containing 


104  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

the  poison  was  handed  to  him :  without  faltering  for  a 
single  moment,  but  full  of  faith,  he  emptied  the  bowl  at 
one  draught. 

In  about  five  minutes  the  ptison  took  effect.  He 
began  to  stagger  about;  his  eyes  were  injected;  his 
limbs  twitched  convulsively ;  his  voice  grew  thick ;  his 
veins  showed  themselves  prominently,  and  his  muscles 
contracted.  His  whole  behavior  was  that  of  a  drunken 
man.  He  began  to  babble  wildly,  and  then  it  was  sup- 
posed that  tfhe  inspkation  was  upon  him.  The  people 
beat  regularly  upon  the  ground  with  the  short  sticks  they 
held,  and  sang  in  a  sort  of  doleful  voice — 

"If  he  is  a  witch,  let  the  mboundou  kill  him, 
If  he  is  not,  let  the  mboundou  go  out." 

Then  at  times  Layibirie,  Quengueza's  heir,  and  his 
nephews,  Quabi,  Adouma,  and  Eapeiro,  asked  if  there 
was  any  man  that  wanted  to  bewitch  King  Quengueza. 

Olonga-Condo  went  on  talking  wildly,  not  answering 
the  questions,  which  were  repeated  over  and  over  again. 
At  last  he  said — "  Yes ;  some  one  is  trying  to  bewitch 
the  King." 

Then  came  the  query,  "Who?" 

By  this  time  the  poor  fellow  was  fortunately  hopeless- 
ly tipsy,  and  incapable  of  reasonable*  speech.  He  bab- 
bled some  unintelligible  jargon,  and  presently  the  in- 
quest was  declared  at  an  end. 

No  persons  had  been  accused,  hence  nobody  was  to 
be  killed.  But  sometimes  these  doctors  do  mention 
names,  and  one  of  these  days  I  may  give  you  an  account 
of  murders  committed  in  the  name  of  witchcraft 

The  mboundou  is  a  dreadful  poison,*  one  from  which 

*  This  mboundou  pretty  certainly  belongs  to  a  natural  order  that  con- 


MURDERS  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  WITCHCRAFT.  105 

very  few  escape.  Sometimes  the  veins  of  the  victim  will 
burst  open,  at  other  times  blood  will  flow  from  his  nose 
and  eyes,  and  he  drops  dead  a  few  minutes  after  drink- 
ing it.  Hence  the  great  power  of  the  doctor.  If  a  poor 
fellow  is  supposed  to  be  a  wizard,  or  to  have  bewitched 
the  King  or  somebody  else,  he  is  forced  to  drink  the 
mboundou  whether  he  likes  it  or  not.  If  the  man  dies, 
he  is  declared  a  witch ;  if  he  survives,  he  is  declared 
innocent,  and  those  who  have  accused  him  pay  him  a 
fine. 

The  ordeal  is  much  dreaded  by  the  negroes,  who  often 
run  away  from  home  and  stay  away  all  their  lives  rather 
than  submit  to  it,  and  will  often  rather  enslave  them- 
selves to  another  tribe. 

When  the  wizards  are  said  to  belong  to  another  vil- 
lage, then  wars  frequently  ensue.  The  man  thought 
guilty  is  demanded  to  drink  the  mboundou,  while  his 
friends,  who  know  that  he  will  probably  die,  refuse  to 
give  him  up. 

•  This  belief  in  witchcraft  is  the  great  curse  of  Africa. 
According  to  this  doctrine,  every  man  that  dies  has  been 
bewitched  by  some  one.  Death  came  into  the  world  by 
witchcraft.  For  almost  every  man  that  dies  somebody 
is  killed,  and  often  several  persons  are  killed. 

The  women  being  deemed  of  very  little  account  in 

tains  many  venomous  plants,  viz.,  the  LOGANIACEJE  ;  and,  from  the  pecul- 
iar veining  of  the  leaves,  it  is  probably  a  species  of  Strychnos,  belonging 
to  that  section  of  the  genus  which  includes  S.  nux  vomica. 

The  taste  of  the  infusion  is  extremely  bitter.  I  gave  some  of  the 
roots  to  Professor  John  Torrey,  of  New  York.  In  the  book  published 
by  the  Messrs.  Harper,  called  "Explorations  in  Equatorial  Africa,"  I 
published  the  letter  this  able  chemist  wrote  me  on  the  properties  of  the 
mboundou. 

E2 


106  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOS. 

this  part  of  the  world,  it  is  very  seldom  that  at  the 
death  of  one  of  them  any  body  is  killed.  These  poor 
heathen  think  no  torture  cruel  enough  to  inflict  upon  a 
wizard.  Sometimes  the  accused  will  be  tied  to  a  tree 
and  burned  by  a  slow  fire;  at  other  times  they  will 
bind  him  and  put  him  in  the  track  of  an  army  of  bash- 
ikouay  ants. 

I  remember  the  horrid  sight  I  met  one  day ;  it  made 
my  blood  freeze  all  over.  I  shall  never  forget  the  scene 
as  long  as  I  live.  I  was  hunting  in  the  woods  for  birds, 
when  I  spied  two  green  pigeons  (treron  nudirostris\  which 
I  wanted  for  my  collection  of  birds.  By  dint  of  great  ex- 
ertions I  penetrated  the  jungle  to  the  foot  of  the  tree, 
when  lo !  a  ghastly  sight  met  my  eyes.  It  was  the  corpse 
of  a  woman,  young  evidently,  and  with  features  once 
mild  and  amiable.  She  had  been  tied  up  here,  on  some 
infernal  accusation  of  witchcraft,  and  tortured  with  a  cru- 
elty which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  Inquisition. 

The  torture  consisted  in  the  laceration  of  the  flesh  all 
over  the  body,  and  fresh  Cayenne  pepper  had  been  rubbed 
in  the  gashes.  A  cold  perspiration  covered  my  body ; 
my  eyes  became  dim  ;  "  Was  it  a  dream?"  I  asked  my- 
self. The  devil  himself  could  not  have  displayed  more 
ingenuity  in  torture.  I  approached  the  corpse.  It  was 
cold.  The  poor  girl  was  dead.  What  terrible  sufferings 
she  must  have  endured ! 

Will  you  think  hard  of  me  when  I  say  to  you  that  I 
felt  I  could  go  into  that  village  of  wild  men  and  shoot 
every  one  of  them  ? 

Aniemba!  What  a  terrible  meaning  that  word  pos- 
sesses in  the  mind  of  the  poor  African  of  Equatorial  Af- 
rica! To  be  bewitched  is  almost  certain  death.  What 


A  SPECIMEN  OF  TORTURE. 


107 


an  awful  superstition!     It  leads  to  the  most  inhuman 
and  abominable  acts  of  cruelty. 

How  many  I  have  seen  of  these  acts !  what  refine- 
ment of  barbarism  I  have  seen  displayed !  what  numbers 
of  poor  innocent  creatures  I  have  seen  slain !  what  num- 
bers of  families  have  in  this  way  been  made  unhappy  ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  ROYAL  FEAST. — ON  THE  BANKS  OP  THE  OVENGA. — PRE- 
PARATIONS.— THE  BILL  OF  FARE. — A  TASTE  OF  ELEPHANT 
AND  A  MOUTHFUL  OF  MONKEY. 

A  ROYAL  feast  is  to  be  given  to  me:  a  real  feast, 
where  the  King  is  going  to  show  me  what  are  the  splen- 
dors of  his  kitchen  department.  That  feast  is  to  take 
place  in  the  equatorial  regions  of  Western  Africa,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ovenga  Eiver. 

King  Obindji  is  to  give  the  repast.  My  friend  King 
Quengueza  and  myself  will  be  the  guests  at  the  feast, 
and  it  promises  to  be  a  great  affair. 

For  some  time  past  hunters  have  gone  into  the  forest 
to  kill  and  trap  game,  fishermen  have  been  catching 
fish,  and  the  women  have  been  watching  their  plantain- 
trees  and  their  cassada  plantations,  while  the  boys  have 
been  scouring  the  forest  to  look  after  wild  fruits. 

A  good  deal  of  pottery  has  been  manufactured,  so  that 
they  may  have  plenty  of  cooking-pots.  Earthen  jars 
have  also  been  made  in  great  numbers,  so  that  vessels 
for  palm  wine  may  be  abundant.  The  women  have  also 
worked  steadily  in  making  mats,  so  that  many  might  be 
spread  on  the  ground.  Several  boloko  have  been  made. 
What  a  strange  kind  of  arm-chair  those  bolokos  are! 
King  Obindji  delights  to  rest  upon  one.  A  large  shade 
has  been  built,  so  that  Quengueza  and  myself  will  have 


PREPARATIONS.  109 

plenty  of  room.  Oralas  are  abundant,  and  meat  has 
been  smoked  in  abundance  during  these  last  few  days. 

At  last  the  day  of  the  feast  has  come.  There  is  a 
great  stir  in  the  village.  The  hunters  have  all  returned, 
the  men  have  also  come  back  from  their  fishing  ex- 
cursion, and  for  the  last  few  days  a  great  quantity  of 
palm  wine  has  been  collected.  Bakalai  chiefs  have 
come  from  all  the  surrounding  country,  with  a  great 
number  of  their  wives  and  of  their  people ;  they  are  all 
scattered  about  over  the  little  olakas  round  the  village. 
After  the  feast  a  grand  palaver  is  to  come  off,  and  the 
affairs  of  the  country  will  be  discussed.  Friend  Quen. 
gueza  seems  to  be  the  King  of  the  Kings,  for  they  all 
show  him  great  marks  of  respect. 

Toward  noon  the  tables  are  set.  Do  not  think  for  a 
moment  that  I  mean  real  tables ;  I  mean  the  mats  are 
laid  on  the  ground.  Under  our  shade  several  mats  are 
put,  and  many  are  scattered  under  the  trees  round. 
Quengueza  and  I  are  to  eat  under  the  shade,  the  other 
chiefs  under  the  trees. 

The  drums  begin  to  beat,  wild  songs  are  sung,  and 
there  is  a  great  stir.  The  wives  of  the  King  have  all 
turned  cooks,  and  are  all  busy ;  the  village  seems  to  be 
in  a  blaze  of  smoke,  for  every  thing  is  cooking,  and  soon 
the  repast  is  to  be  ready. 

All  sorts  of  pleasant  odors  are  coming  out  of  these 
pots :  what  curious  dishes  some  of  them  will  be ! 

The  drums  are  beating  furiously  again  and  again. 
Twenty  of  the  King's  wives  have  come  out,  each  bring- 
ing a  dish  with  her,  which  they  deposit  on  the  mats. 

Then  Obindji  came  to  Quengueza  and  to  me,  and 
bade  us  come  and  sit  before  what  was  presented  to  us, 


110  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

and  tasted  of  every  dish  to  show  us  that  no  food  was 
poisoned,  for  such  is  the  custom  of  the  country. 

What  a  curious  bill  of  fare !  I  must  give  it  to  you, 
and  I  will  try  to  remember  it  all. 

First,  there  was  a  huge  pot  containing  an  enormous 
piece  of  an  elephant,  which  had  been  boiling  since  the 
day  before,  so  that  the  meat  might  be  tender.  Another 
dish  was  the  boiled  smoked  foot  of  an  elephant,  which 
had  been  specially  cooked  for  me,  this  being  considered 
by  many  the  best  piece. 

Then  came  a  large  piece  of  boiled  crocodile,  the  broth 
of  which  was  recommended  to  us,  lemon  juice  and  Cay- 
enne pepper  having  been  bountifully  mixed  with  it  to 
give  it  a  flavor.  Then  came  a  charming  monkey,  which 
had  been  roasted  entire  on  a  blazing  fire  of  charcoal. 
The  little  fellow  seemed  to  be  nothing  but  a  ball  of  fat, 
and  looked  wonderfully  like  a  roasted  baby.  It  was 
cooked  to  perfection,  and  really  had  a  fine  flavor. 

Then  a  huge  leg  of  a  wild  boar  made  its  appearance, 
the  flavor  of  which  was  very  high,  and  it  must  have  been 
killed  days  before;  but  these  people  like  their  game 
high  ;  in  fact,  it  is  often  decomposed  when  eaten. 

Then  came  the  boiled  tongue  of  the  Bos  brachicheros, 
the  wild  buffalo.  Another  dish  was  boiled  buffalo  ribs. 
This  latter  had  been  cooked  with  the  ndika,  a  kind  of 
paste  made  from  the  seed  of  the  wild  mango  fruit ;  this 
was  put  close  to  me,  Quengueza  never  touching  the  buf- 
falo meat,  some  of  his  ancestors  having  long  ago  given 
birth  to  a  buffalo  (at  least  so  he  said),  and  his  clan,  the 
Abouya,  never  taste  buffalo. 

Then  came  a  dish  of  smoked  mongon  (otter) ;  anoth- 
er of  antelope,  called  kambi,  and  a  beautiful  little  ga- 


Q  UENG  UEZA  AS  A  60  URMAND.  Ill 

zelle,  called  ncheri.  These  meats  had  all  been  smoked  a 
long  time.  In  the  centre  there  were  two  huge  baskets 
of  plantains,  which  were  to  be  used  as  bread. 

Do  not  think  this  is  the  end  of  the  bill  of  fare.  The 
fishes  are  still  to  come,  as  well  as  other  African  dainties. 

An  enormous  dish  of  manatee  was  next  brought  in, 
which  was  immediately  followed  by  another  dish  of 
boiled  mullet.  Then  came  some  land  and  water  turtles. 
I  wondered  why  a  boiled  snake  had  not  made  its  ap- 
pearance, and  also  some  roast  gorilla  and  chimpanzee, 
these  to  be  surrounded  by  a  few  mice  and  rats.  But 
these  are  entirely  Bakalai  dishes,  no  Commi  eating 
those  animals, 

It  was  a  sumptuous  feast.  Obindji  was  in  his  glory, 
and  the  drummers  sang,  "  Who  can  give  such  a  feast  to 
the  JSTtangani  except  Obindji  ?  Obindji  has  a  fetich  " — 
they  continued  singing — "that  makes  the  wild  beasts 
come  to  him,  the  fish  come  to  him,  the  white  man  come 
to  him!" 

Quengueza  was  seated  on  one  side  and  I  on  the 
other,  and  round  us  stood  the  twenty  wives  and  Obind- 
ji's  slaves,  to  wait  upon  us.  Quengueza,  who  is  a  great 
gourmand,  took  a  glance  at  every  dish  before  him 
and  concluded  that  he  would  go  into  the  manatee  first, 
then  he  would  follow  up  with  some  fish,  and  then  would 
pitch  into  the  fat  monkey,  finishing  up  with  antelope ; 
and  he  said  to  me,  in  his  bland  and  kind  manner,  that  if 
there  was  room  left  he  would  eat  some  ncheri  (gazelle), 
but  he  intended  specially  to  go  into  the  wild  boar  and 
the  manatee  to  his  heart's  content.  "  Then,"  said  he, 
close  to  my  ear,  "you  will  give  me  a  little  glass  of 
brandy." 


112  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQ  UA  TOR. 

I  thought  I  would  taste  a  little  of  every  thing,  and 
bring  my  stomach  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Though  it 
was  against  etiquette,  for  Obindji  could  not  eat  with 
Quengueza,  I  told  him  we  had  better  invite  friend 
Obindji.  We  called  the  good  fellow,  and  made  him  sit 
with  us  amid  the  abundant  cheer  round  us,  for  all  were 
as  merry  as  they  could  be. 

His  Bakalai  Majesty  was  quite  proud  to  eat  with  a 
fork  which  I  presented  him. 

Since  Obindji  was  to  eat  with  us,  an  addition  to  the 
bill  of  fare — a  dish  of  boiled  gorilla — came  for  his  espe- 
cial benefit ;  also  a  dish  made  of  part  of  a  large  snake 
cooked  in  leaves,  the  smell  of  which  made  Obindji's 
mouth  water. 

'  The  people  all  round  us  were  eating.  The  first 
mouthful  I  put  into  my  mouth  caused  cheer  after  cheer 
to  go  up.  "  The  ntanga  is  eating !  The  ntanga  is  eat- 
ing of  the  elephant!"  For  I  thought  I  would  begin 
with  King  Elephant. 

It  was  a  pretty  tough  piece  of  meat,  I  assure  you ; 
the  grain  was  very  coarse,  and  the  meat  was  somewhat 
tasteless  and  rather  dry.  The  boiled  elephant's  foot 
was  better,  and  I  rather  liked  it.  The  elephant  meat  I 
did  not  like ;  it  was  really  too  tough. 

Obindji  recommended  to  me  a  bit  of  crocodile,  and 
the  wife  who  had  cooked  it  said  she  had  been  very  care- 
ful that  there  was  plenty  of  Cayenne  pepper  and  of 
lemon  juice,  and  she  was  sure  the  broth  was  excellent. 
I  must  say  I  did  not  like  the  idea  of  eating  of  the  croco- 
dile, but  I  wanted  to  know  how  it  tasted.  The  flesh 
was  very  white — somewhat  fishy,  I  thought — and  the 
grain  of  the  meat  coarse.  I  did  not  like  either  the  broth 


MONKEY,  BOAR,  AND  BUFFALO  MEAT.  113 

or  meat.  The  former  was  so  terribly  hot  with  Cayenne 
pepper  that  it  tasted  of  nothing  else.  I  was  glad  to  get 
through  with  the  crocodile. 

The  monkey  was  perfectly  delicious;  I  had  not  en- 
joyed any  thing  so  much  for  a  long  time,  despite  his 
looking  so  much  like  a  roasted  baby.  I  am  sure  no 
venison  at  home  could  have  tasted  better. 

The  wild  boar  was  so  terribly  high  that  I  backed  out, 
but  friend  Quengueza  thought  it  was  exquisite;  and 
when  he  had  finished  eating  it,  he  told  Obindji's  head- 
wife  to  keep  what  was  left  for  him,  as  he  intended  to 
eat  the  whole  of  it  At  the  same  time  he  got  up  as  if  he 
wanted  to  stiffen  himself  for  more  food,  and  then  sat 
down,  saying  that  he  was  ready  to  go  on  again. 

Just  for  fun  I  offered  to  friend  Quengueza  a  piece 
of  the  tongue  of  the  buffalo  and  part  of  his  boiled  rib. 
The  old  chief  recoiled,  for  none  of  his  clan  (the  Abouya), 
as  I  have  said,  can  eat  of  this  meat,  for  they  have  a  legend 
that  once  one  of  their  clan  gave  birth  to  such  an  animal ; 
and  if  they  were  to  eat  of  it  disease  would  creep  upon 
them,  they  would  die,  and  their  women  would  give  birth 
again  to  such  a  monster.  Quengueza  told  Obindji 
that  the  vessels  that  cooked  the  buffalo  must  be  broken, 
for  fear  that  his  wives  might  cook  his  food  in  them. 

Every  clan  has  some  kind  of  animal  they  do  not  eat. 
Quengueza  assured  me  that  when  a  boy  he  saw  a  woman 
who  had  given  birth  to  a  crocodile.  I  scarcely  touched 
the  buffalo  meat ;  the  otter  I  did  not  like.  When  I 
came  to  the  antelope  my  appetite  had  gone,  to  my  great 
sorrow,  for  I  am  very  fond  of  this  dish.  I  finished  up 
my  dinner  with  a  slice  of  pine-apple.  I  doubt  very  much 
if  a  more  curious  dinner  could  be  given  anywhere. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   TERRIBLE    BASHIKOUAY. MARCH    OF  AN   ANT  ARMY. 

THEY    BUILD    BRIDGES. —  THEY    ENTER    HOUSES. THEIR 

HABITS. 

ONE  day  I  was  plodding  along  in  the  vast  forest  in 
search  of  game,  and  was  suddenly  startled  by  a  strange 
noise  falling  upon  my  ears.  I  heard  the  footsteps  of  wild 
beasts  running  away%  I  thought  even  that  I  saw  the 
glimpse  of  a  gorilla;  I  certainly  heard  distinctly  the 
footsteps  of  an  elephant  soon  after.  At  last  I  heard  at  a 
great  distance  a  mighty  crash  as  if  elephants  were  run- 
ning at  great  speed  through  the  forest,  breaking  every 
thing  before  them. 

What  can  all  this  mean  ?  I  asked  myself ;  and  I  knew 
not  why,  but  a  vague  feeling  of  awe  began  to  creep  over 
me.  I  knew  that  something  strange  must  have  happen- 
ed or  was  coming.  Were  we  going  to  have  an  earth- 
quake ?  It  could  not  be  a  tornado,  for  we  were  in  the 
beginning  of  the  dry  season. 

Finally  the  insects  which  had  begun  to  fly  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  tumult  now  grew  thicker  and  thicker, 
when  suddenly  I  was  annoyed  by  fearful  bites,  and  in 
less  time  than  I  have  taken  to  write  I  was  covered  by  a 
kind  of  ants  called  by  the  Bakalais  Bashikouay.  I 
leaped  and  fled  with  the  utmost  haste  in  the  same  di- 
rection the  insects  and  beasts  had  taken.  An  army  of 
bashikouay  ants  was  advancing,  and  devouring  every 


THE  BASHIKO  UA  T  ANT.  115 

living  thing  in  its  way.  I  was  almost  crazy,  for  they 
were  in  my  clothes  and  on  my  body,  and  often  when  they 
gave  a  bite  a  little  piece  of  flesh  would  come  out. 

When  I  thought  I  was  out  of  reach  I  immediately 
took  off  my  clothes.  They  had,  in  their  fury,  literally 
buried  themselves  in  these,  and  their  pincers  were  deep 
into  them ;  and  like  the  fierce  bull-dog  of  our  own  coun- 
try, when  once  they  bite  they  never  let  go  their  hold ; 
and  many  and  many  a  time  their  bodies  were  severed 
from  their  head  as  I  pulled  them  out ;  their  pincers  clung 
still  to  my  flesh. 

I  defy  any  living  man  to  stand  quiet  before  an  army 
of  bashikouay  ;  he  would  certainly  be  killed  and  devour- 
ed. This  was  incontestably  the  largest  army  of  bashi- 
kouay I  have  ever  seen,  and  how  it  swept  over  the  forest, 
driving  every  thing  before  it ! 

These  little  ants  are  more  powerful  when  combined 
in  such  an  army  than  any  living  thing  in  the  forest. 
All  other  animate  things  are  put  to  flight  before  their 
march.  It  is  only  in  the  interior  that  one  can  have  an 
idea  of  their  number. 

I  dressed  myself  again,  and  began  to  breathe  freely, 
when  lo!  these  bashikouay  were  again  coming  in  my 
direction.  So  I  fled,  striking  for  a  path  that  led  to  a 
stream,  and  at  last  reached  the  wet  and  swampy  grounds, 
which  I  knew  they  would  not  care  to  approach  if  they 
continued  to  spread  and  advance  in  the  direction  I  had 
taken. 

How  many  and  how  many  times  I  have  been  dis- 
turbed by  these  ants  in  the  forests  of  Africa ! 

Of  all  the  ants  which  inhabit  the  regions  I  have  ex- 
plored, the  most  dreaded  of  all  is  the  bashikouay ;  it  is 


116  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

very  abundant,  and  is  the  most  voracious  creature  I  have 
ever  met.  It  is  the  dread  of  all  living  animals,  from  the 
elephant  and  the  leopard  down  to  the  smallest  insect. 

At  the  end  of  this  chapter  is  the  drawing  of  an  or- 
dinary bashikouay,  taken  by  the  artist  from  one  of  the 
four  I  had  with  me. 

No  wonder  that  the  animal  and  insect  world  flies  be- 
fore them !  And  now  I  am  going  to  say  a  good  deal  of 
what  I  know  about  them ;  if  I  should  tell  you  all,  the  ac- 
count would  appear  so  incredible  that  perhaps  you  would 
say  it  must  be  untrue ;  but  I  write  this  book  to  instruct 
you,  and  to  show  you  that  the  ways  of  Nature  are  won- 
derful. 

These  bashikouay,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ob- 
serve, do  not  build  a  nest  or  house  of  any  kind ;  they 
wander  throughout  the  year,  and  seem  never  to  have  any 
rest.  They  are  on  the  march  day  and  night.  I  never 
saw  them  carry  any  thing  away;  they  devour  every 
thing  on  the  spot. 

It  is  their  habit  to  march  through  the  forests  in  a 
long  regular  line,  just  as  soldiers  would  do,  and  with 
quite  as  much  order  and  regularity.  Tfas  line  is  about 
two  inches  broad,  and  must  be  often  several  miles  in 
length.  All  along  this  line  are  larger  ants,  who  act  as 
officers,  standing  outside  the  ranks,  and  keeping  this 
singular  army  in  order.  These  officers  stand  generally 
with  their  heads  facing  their  subordinates.  They  remain 
thus  until  their  squads  have  passed,  and  then  join  them, 
while  others  take  their  place. 

The  number  of  a  large  army  is  so  great  that  I  should 
not  even  dare  to  enter  into  a  calculation.  I  have  seen 
one  continual  line  passing  at  good  speed  a  particular 


UNDERGROUND  TUNNELS.  117 

place  for  twelve  hours.  It  was  sunrise  when  I  saw  them, 
and  it  was  only  a  little  before  sunset  that  their  numbers 
began  to  diminish.  An  hour  before  the  end  of  the  col- 
umn came,  it  was  not  so  compact,  and  I  could  see  that 
these  were  the  stragglers ;  and  many  of  these  stragglers 
also  seemed  to  be  of  a  smaller  size :  they  were  evidently 
tired.  When  I  saw  them  in  the  morning  I  did  not  know 
how  long  since  this  vast  army  of  bashikouay  had  begun 
their  march.  This  was  the  largest  column  I  ever  saw. 
You  may  imagine  how  many  millions  on  millions  there 
must  have  been  included  in  this  column.  I  have  seen 
much  smaller  columns  on  the  march,  but  it  generally  re- 
quired several  hours  for  them  to  pass. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  ants  can  not.  bear  the 
heat  of  the  sun,  hence  they  could  not  be  found  in  a 
country  where  the  forests  are  scarce.  If  they  come  to  a 
place  where  there  are  no  trees  to  shelter  them  from 
the  sun,  they  immediately  build  underground  tunnels, 
through  which  the  whole  army  passes  in  column  to  the 
forest  beyond.  These  tunnels  are  four  or  five  feet  under- 
ground, and  are  only  used  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  I 
have  noticed  that  these  open  spaces  are  often  passed  by 
them  during  the  night  to  the  forest  beyond. 

I  suppose  that  these  underground  tunnels  must  be 
numerous;  I  do  not  see  how  otherwise  the  ants  could 
protect  themselves  against  the  heavy  rains.  I  have  never 
seen  them,  lying  drowned  on  the  ground  after  a  storm. 
Hence  they  must  know,  when  a  storm  is  coming,  how  to 
disappear ;  and  generally  after  a  heavy  rain  these  armies 
are  more  numerous  in  the  forest,  for  they  probably  come 
in  quest  of  food,  of  which  they  have  been  deprived 
during  their  subterranean  marches.  They  always  at- 


118  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  TEE  EQUATOR 

tack  with  a  fury  which  passes  description.  Where  the 
soil  is  sandy,  no  bashikouay  can  be  found. 

When  they  get  hungry  the  long  file  spreads  and 
scatters  itself  through  the  forest  in  a  front  line :  how  the 
order  reaches  from  one  extremity  of  the  line  to  the  other 
almost  at  the  same  time  I  can  not  tell.  Then  they  at- 
tack and  devour  all  that  comes  within  their  reach  with  a 
fury  and  voracity  which  is  quite  astonishing.  As  I  have 
said,  the  elephant  and  gorilla  fly  before  this  attack ;  the 
leopard  disappears  from  his  den;  the  black  men  run 
away  for  their  lives ;  for  who  would  dare  to  stand  still  be- 
fore such  an  army?  In  a  very  short  time  any  adversary 
would  be  overpowered,  and  I  am  sure  that  in  about  two 
or  three  hours  nothing  would  be  left  of  the  opposition. 
Antelopes  which  I  have  killed  have  been  stripped  of 
every  bit  of  flesh  in  that  time.  At  times,  when  they  have 
spread  themselves,  they  do  not  advance  with  rapidity, 
but  seem  to  go  in  a  rambling  sort  of  a  way. 

It  is  said  that  now  and  then  a  man  is  put  to  death  in 
the  following  manner.  He  is  tied  to  a  tree  which  is  in 
the  path  of  this  bashikouay  army.  What  a  terrible 
death  it  must  be ! 

Every  animal  that  lives  on  the  line  of  march  where 
they  have  spread  is  pursued,  and,  though  instinct  seems 
to  indicate  the  forthcoming  danger,  many  are  caught. 
In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  the  mouse,  the  in- 
sect, and  many  small  animals  are  overwhelmed,  killed, 
eaten,  and  their  bare  skeletons  only  remain.  If  they  ever 
get  into  a  fowl-house,  it  is  all  over  with  the  fowls.  The 
insects  seem  to  be  the  greatest  sufferers.  The  ants  seem 
to  understand  and  act  upon  the  tactics  of  Napoleon,  and 
concentrate  with  great  speed  their  heaviest  forces  upon 


THE  ATTACK.  Ill 

the  point  of  attack.  They  must  certainly  understand 
each  other ;  but  how,  we  shall  never  be  able  to  know. 
Surely  there  must  be  commanders  for  these  vast  hordes 
of  soldier  ants,  for  when  in  a  line  on  the  march  not  one 
will  leave  the  ranks,  even  though  the  insects,  which  they 
would  devour  in  an  instant  when  spread  for  a  raid,  are 
close  by.  It  is  but  seldom  that  they  are  able  to  capture 
antelopes,  for  these  animals  run  away  too  fast  for  them. 

As  I  have  said  before,  they  travel  night  and  day. 
Many  a  time  some  of  you  who  have  perused  my  books 
may  have  read  that  I  have  been  roused  from  sleep  and 
obliged  to  rush  from  the  hut,  sometimes  into  the  water,  or 
at  other  times  have  been  obliged  to  protect  myself  with 
fires,  or  by  spreading  hot  ashes  or  boiling  water  around 
me.  Often  I  have  suffered  terribly  from  their  advanced 
guard,  who  had  got  into  my  clothes,  and  who  would  not 
get  out,  and  soon  managed  to  get  on  my  body. 

When  they  enter  a  house  they  clear  it  of  all  living 
things.  Roaches  are  devoured  in  an  instant.  Eats  and 
mice  spring  round  the  room  in  vain.  An  overwhelming 
force  of  ants  kills  a  strong  rat  in  less  than  a  minute  or 
two,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time,  despite  the  most 
frantic  struggles,  its  bones  are  stripped.  Every  living 
thing  in  the  house  is  devoured.  Centipedes,  scorpions, 
small  spiders  can  not  escape,  and  of  this  I  was  glad. 
They  will  not  touch  vegetable  matter.  Thus  they  are 
in  reality  very  useful;  for  without  them  the  insects 
would  become  so  numerous  that  man  would  not  be  able 
to  live.  I  always  rejoiced  when  they  got  hold  of  a  ser- 
pent, though  these  are  pretty  shy,  and  manage  generally 
to  get  out  of  the  way,  except  when  they  are  in  a  state  of 
torpor. 

F 


122  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

When  on  the  march  the  insect  world  flees  before  them, 
and,  as  you  have  seen  in  the  beginning  of  the-chapter,  I 
had  the  approach  of  a  bashikouay  army  heralded  to  me 
by  this  means.  Wherever  they  go  they  make  a  clean 
sweep,  even  ascending  to  the  top  of  many  small  trees  in 
search  of  birds' -nests,  and  to  devour  the  young  of  caterpil- 
lars. They  pursue  their  poor  prey  with  an  unrelenting 
fury,  and  seem  to  be  animated  with  the  genius  of  de- 
struction. Their  manner  of  attack  is  by  an  impetuous 
leap.  Instantly  the  strong  pincers  are  fastened,  and  they 
only  let  go  when  the  piece  seized  upon  gives  way.  If 
they  were  large  they  would  certainly  be  the  most  fear- 
ful creature  man  could  ever  encounter,  and  they  would 
destroy  all  the  living  creatures  of  the  forest. 

When  on  their  line  of  march  they  often  find  little 
streams — which  of  course  are  not  very  wide ;  they  throw 
themselves  across  and  form  a  bridge,  a  living  bridge, 
connected  by  two  trees  or  high  bushes  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  stream.  This  is  done  with  great  care,  and  is  ef- 
fected by  a  great  number  of  ants,  each  of  which  clings 
with  his  fore-claws  to  his  next  neighbor's  body  or  hind- 
claws.  Thus  they  form  a  high,  safe  bridge,  over  which 
the  whole  vast  regiment  marches  in  regular  order.  If 
disturbed,  or  if  the  bridge  is  broken  by  the  violence  of 
some  animal,  they  instantly  attack  the  offender  with  the 
greatest  animosity. 

To  find  the  place  for  these  bridges  must  require  a 
good  deal  of  sagacity.  By  one  way  or  another  they  find 
a  spot  where  on  each  side  there  is  a  branch  of  a  tree,  al- 
most always  a  dead  one,  that  has  fallen  on  the  ground, 
and  which  overlaps  the  stream.  Often  in  falling  this  tree 
has  broken  in  two  pieces,  and  the  piece  on  the  other 


VAR10  US  SPECIES.  123 

side  almost  joins  it.  The  branch  on  the  further  side 
must  be  lower  on  the  ground,  so  that,  as  they  form  the 
bridge,  they  begin  it  from  the  higher  side. 

These  bashikouay  do  smell  things  a  long  way  off,  and 
they  are  guided  by  their  sense  of  smell.  They  are  quite 
large,  often  the  ordinary-sized  ones  being  half  an  inch 
long,  and  are  armed  with  very  powerful  fore-legs  and 
large  strong  jaws,  or  nippers,  with  which  they"  bite.  The 
head  is  almost  if  not  quite  as  large  as  the  body;  the 
large  ones  are  almost  one  inch  in  length.  The  kind  of 


THE  BABniKOUAY  ANT,   MAGNIFIED  TO  TWICE  ITS  NATUHAL  SIZE. 

which  I  have  spoken  is  dark  brown  in  color,  but  I  nave 
found  in  the  mountains  of  the  interior  a  somewhat 
larger  species,  almost  black,  and  intensely  voracious. 
Besides  these  two  there  is  still  another  species  of  bash- 
ikouay,  which  I  have  only  met  two  or  three  times  in 
the  mountains  south  of  the  equator.  It  is  of  a  great 
size,  at  least  double  the  size  of  the  one  I  have  just 
spoken  to  you  about.  The  body  is  grayish- white  in  col- 
or, the  head  of  reddish-black ;  its  fangs  are  very  power- 


124  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

ful,  and  it  is  able  to  make  a  clean  bite  out  of  one's  legs. 
It  is  thus  a  very  formidable  animal,  but  fortunately  its 
motions  are  not  as  quick  as  those  of  its  fierce  brother ;  for 
if  they  were,  I  do  not  know  what  would  become  of  a  man 
in  the  midst  of  such  an  army.  It  does  not  march  in  such 
vast  armies,  nor  does  it  precipitate  itself  upon  its  prey 
with  such  an  irresistible  fury.  In  its  motions  it  is  almost 
sluggish.  They  do  not  invade  villages,  or  climb  trees  in 
pursuit  of  prey,  and  they  are  not  so  voracious  as  their 
fellows  before  mentioned.  If  they  were,  they  would 
doubtless  clear  the  country  of  every  living  thing,  for 
they  are  much  more  powerful.  They  are,  in  fact,  to  the 
other  ants  what  whales  are  to  fish.  If  as  ferocious,  they 
would  depopulate  the  country,  and  would  themselves 
have  to  starve  and  then  disappear. 

Now  I  have  told  you  about  the  bashikouay,  and  feel 
that  I  could  tell  you  more ;  and  you  may  rely  implicitly 
on  what  I  have  said,  for  what  I  have  written  is  from 
very  close  observation.  I  wish  this  record  of  the  bash- 
ikouay to  stand. 

Some  day  civilization  may  reach  Equatorial  and  Cen- 
tral Africa ;  then  the  forest  will  give  place  to  open  fields, 
and  the  bashikouay  ant  will  disappear,  for  it  can  not 
bear  an  open  country.  Such  is  the  order  of  nature  which 
God  has  created,  that  when  a  race  of  men  or  beasts  has 
gone  it  will  never  come  back.  The  mastodon,  and  those 
gigantic  animals  and  reptiles  which  once  were,  have 
never  reappeared. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  SORROWS  OF  THE  BIRDS. — CURIOUS  AFRICAN  BIRDS. — 
THE  BARBATULA  DU  CHAILLUI. — THE  BARBATULA  FULI- 
GINOSA. — THE  STCOBIUS  OTGERRIMUS. 

Now  I  must  speak  to  you  of  little  birds ! 

I  do  love  birds.  They  are  Nature's  beautiful  creat- 
ures. 

They  are  one  of  God's  loveliest  creations. 

They  cheer  us  in  our  lonely  hours,  when  from  their 
bowers  their  songs  come  upon  our  ears  and  gladden  our 
hearts.  Their  melodies  have  often  told  me  how  happy 
they  were,  and  how  much  one  bird  loved  the  other. 
They  are  the  poets  of  nature 

Oh,  little  birds,  I  have  often  wondered  how  many  sor- 
rows you  have !  Pain  I  know  you  have.  The  shrill 
cries  and  plaintive  notes  I  have  often  heard  from  you 
have  told  me  that  your  little  breasts  felt  the  pangs  of  an- 
guish. The  hurried  flights  which  I  have  often  watched 
have  said  how  anxious  you  were. 

In  our  Northern  climes,  when  the  leaves  have  wither- 
ed, when  the  cold  winds  blow,  when  the  snow  covers  the 
earth,  I  know  that  you  suffer  from  hunger,  and  I  feel 
so  sorry  for  you.  When  you  come  by  the  window  you 
seem  to  say — "  Do  feed  me,  for  I  am  so  hungry  and  so 
cold!" 

I  have  crossed  the  seas,  and  hundreds  of  miles  away 


126  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

from  land  I  have  seen  you,  in  your  forlorn  flight,  look- 
ing in  vain  for  the  way  that  might  lead  to  a  land  where 
your  poor  little  bodies  and  tired  wings  and  tiny  little 
feet  could  find  rest.  The  storm  and  the  winds  had  car- 
ried you  away  from  the  land  where  you  were  accustomed 
to  rejoice  and  sing,  and  taken  you  above  that  ocean  on 
which  you  looked  with  such  dread,  and  which  is  always 
ready  to  engulf  you.  You  were  so  tired  that  you  had 
not  even  the  strength  to  utter  your  cries.  How  then  I 
pitied  you,  for  I  thought  of  the  days  and  sleepless  nights 
you  had  spent  over  the  vast  sea !  how  weary  those  little 
wings  of  yours  were  !  how  painful  must  have  been  each 
effort  you  made  to  support  you  in  the  air.  How  sad 
must  have  been  your  thoughts,  for  you  could  see  nothing 
to  guide  you  to  that  place  you  longed  to  reach ! 

I  have  seen  you  when  the  good  ship  was  close  at 
hand.  How  welcome  its  sight  seemed  to  be  to  you,  who 
had  suffered  so  much  from  thirst,  hunger,  and  starvation, 
fatigue  and  exhaustion !  and,  as  I  watched  your  coming, 
I  could  detect  joy  and  fear;  for  how  strange  the  vessel 
appeared  to  you,  how  strange  its  ropes,  how  strange  its 
sails. 

When  I  have  thought  its  masts  and  ropes  would  af- 
ford you  rest,  and  seen  you  ready  to  reach  them,  you  have 
dropped  on  the  waves  to  rise  no  more.  How  you  strug- 
gled before  you  came  to  this !  You  almost  touched  the 
water,  when  another  effort  would  send  you  flying  high 
above  the  sea ;  then  again  your  flight  became  weaker ; 
gradually  you  came  down  and  made  another  frantic  ef- 
fort to  escape  by  flight.  At  last  you  seemed  not  to 
know  any  longer  what  you  were  doing,  and  despite  all 
your  valiant  struggles  for  life  your  doom  came,  and  you 


LEA  TH  OF  THE  BIRDS.  1 2  7 

dropped  into  the  waves ;  and  as  the  vessel  sailed  away  I 
left  you  to  your  sad  fate.  At  other  times  you  fell  on 
deck,  for  you  were  not  strong  enough  to  perch.  Then 
how  your  bright  little  eyes  became  dim,  for  the  touch  of 
death  was  soon  to  close  them,  despite  the  care  and  the 
little  water  I  would  give  you.  How  sweetly  you  looked 
as  you  laid  still  in  the  embrace  of  death !  The  storms 
of  your  life  were  over,  your  sorrows  were  ended,  and 
your  merry  songs  were  to  be  heard  no  more  in  the 
groves  you  used  to  love.  I  know  of  nothing  sweeter  to 
look  at  than  a  dead  little  bird !  and  yet  there  is  nothing 
which  more  pathetically  touches  my  heart. 

When  the  eagle,  the  hawk,  and  the  falcon  soar  high  in 
the  sky,  I  know  that  they  are  your  enemies.  When  the 
snake  glides  from  branch  to  branch  in  search  of  your 
nest,  to  destroy  your  offspring,  I  know  that  pain  will 
reach  your  heart.  When  you  and  your  mate  are  flying 
above  the  earth,  perchance  a  heartless  sportsman  appears, 
and  with  his  gun  brings  one  of  you  down.  How  I  have 
seen  you  follow  the  unfortunate  one  in  its  downward 
flight !  How  painful  to  hear  were  your  cries ;  how  you 
tried  to  arrest  the  fall  of  the  poor  wounded  one,  and 
how  touching  was  the  scene  as  you  soared  and  soared 
above  the  body  of  the  little  victim  who  had  fallen  on  the 
ground.  So  plaintive  were  your  cries  that  they  ought 
to  have  disarmed  the  ruthless  hand  that  separated  you, 
so  that  he  would  say  to  himself — "  I  will  nevermore  kill 
a  harmless  little  bird,  for  God  has  given  them  to  us  to 
cheer,  to  enliven  the  nature  that  surrounds  us."  When 
night  comes,  and  your  mate  does  not  return,  how  anxious 
and  sad  you  seem  to  feel !  Perhaps  a  cruel  cat,  or  some 
wild  animal  has  destroyed  his  life.  How  often  I  have 


128  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

heard  you  call  for  the  missing  one,  and  could  detect  de- 
spair in  the  tone  of  your  voice ! 

When  the  young  fall  from  the  nest  I  have  watched 
your  anxiety,  and  when  danger  threatened  them  I  have 
seen  you  brace  up  your  courage ;  and  how  angry  then  you 
did  look,  with  your  little  feathers  all  standing  out  as  if  you 
were  ready  for  a  fight !  When  the  storms  had  tumbled 
down  the  little  nest  you  had  built  with  so  much  trouble, 
how  distressed  you  seemed  to  be,  and  how  industrious 
you  were  to  build  another  one  !  So,  little  birdies,  I  found 
that,  like  man,  you  have  your  joys,  your  cares,  your  troub- 
les, and  your  sorrows.  The  stormy  billows  of  life  are 
also  for  you.  I  love  you  the  more  for  this.  I  wish  I 
were  a  poet,  so  that  my  lyre  could  sing  songs  to  you,  and 
I  might  tell  you  a  softer  tale  than  that  which  the  night- 
ingale tells  to  us. 

Dear  little  birds,  I  thank  you  for  all  the  joys  you  have 
given  me  during  my  wanderings.  Your  songs  and  mel- 
odies have  often  cheered  me  when  wearied  and  lonely. 
Your  plumage  I  have  admired,  and  often  have  I  exclaim- 
ed— "  Little  birds,  how  beautiful  you  are !"  I  thank  you 
for  the  many  days  I  have  passed  pleasantly  while  watch- 
ing you ;  for  I  love  dearly  to  look  at  you,  to  study 
your  habits,  to  see  how  nice  and  loving  you  are.  Many 
times  I  have  said  to  myself,  when  admiring  you — "  Little 
birdie,  do  come  to  me,  so  that  I  may  kiss  thee  and  feel 
thy  little  beak  upon  my  lips."  O  God,  how  kind  to 
man  thou  art !  for  he  is  able  to  understand  thy  works. 
The  wonders  of  thy  creation  he  can  admire,  so  that  he  may 
praise  thee  for  thy  goodness. 

And  now  I  will  speak  to  you  of  some  little  birds  of 
which  we  knew  nothing,  of  little  birds  that  had  no  name, 


AFRICAN  BIRDS.  129 

and  wandered  unknown  to  civilized  man,  till  he  who  has 
written  this  book  saw  them  and  brought  them  here. 

In  a  forest  of  Equatorial  Africa,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ovenga  Eiver  not  far  from  Obindji  Village,  there  was  a 
plantation  where,  birds  came  every  day.  There  were 
many  curious  kind  of  birds  there,  and  many  I  had  never 
seen  before.  The  time  to  see  them  was  early  in  the 
morning,  before  the  suft  became  so  hot  that  they  had  to 
retire  in  the  forest,  or  in  the  afternoon  after  the  sun  was 
hidden  by  the  hills.  But  the  morning  was  the  best  time. 
The  natives  had  no  name  for  many  of  these  birds. 
Among  the  most  curious  ones  were  the  fly-catchers,  the 
stranger  bee-eaters,  the  queer  crimpers,  and  some  very 
strange  woodpeckers;  while  flying  over  them  all  were 
some  nice  little  black  swallows  that  were  very  pret- 
ty indeed.  I  remember  how  much  I  loved  in  the  mo?n- 
ing  to  go  over  that  plantation  and  watch  them  all,  so  that 
I  might  learn  their  habits  and  tell  you  something  about 
them. 

Among  the  strangest  of  them  all  there  was  one  that 
especially  attracted  my  attention.  As  I  approached  the 
plantation  I  could  hear,  just  on  the  edge  of  the  forest,  a 
noise  that  sounded  very  much  as  if  some  far-away  people 
were  hammering  at  something,  or  I  should  rather  say,  as 
if  people  were  hammering  at  a  tree.  I  carefully  ap- 
proached the  place.  I  am  sure  you  could  not  have  heard 
my  steps  on  the  ground,  so  carefully  I  approached.  I 
was  dressed  in  a  dark-blue  suit  of  cotton  goods,  so  that 
the  birds  might  not  notice  me.  At  last  I  recognized  the 
noise  as  coming  from  old  friends  of  mine.  They  were 
birds  that  were  hammering  at  two  or  three  dead  trees  in 
such  earnest  that  none  of  them  observed  me. 
F2 


130  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

It  was  a  very  pretty  sight  I  The  country  being 
nothing  else  than  a  gigantic  forest,  of  course,  wherever  a 
village  or  plantation  is  made,  the  trees  have  to  be  cut 
down,  and  nearly  all  are  cut  from  a  height  of  ten  or 
fifteen  feet.  These  in  the  course  of  time  become  dry,  and 
after  being  dead  a  sufficient  time  the  wood  softens,  and 
becomes  the  object  of  the  attack  of  the  beautiful  little 
bird  I  am  writing  about.  It  is  feally  a  beautiful  bird, 
and  was  unknown  before  I  brought  it  here.  It  has  been 
named  the  Barbatula  du  Chaillui.  The  throat  and  breast 
are  of  a  glossy  blue-black  color;  the  head  is  scarlet ;  a  line 
of  canary  yellow  from  above  the  eyes  surrounds  the 
neck,  and  the  back,  which  is  black,  is  covered  with 
canary  yellow  spots.  Above  the  bill  it  has  what  might 
be  termed  two  little  brushes. 

The  trunks  of  the  trees  on  which  they  were  so  busily 
engaged  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the  forest.  These 
birds  were  hard  at  work  with  their  bills,  pecking  out 
circular  openings  about  two  inches  in  diameter.  It  was 
a  tedious  operation,  and  now  and  then  a  little  bird  had  to 
rest,  or  its  mate  would  come  and  take  its  place.  Their 
little  feet  are  constructed  like  those  of  the  woodpeckers, 
to  whom  they  are  somewhat  related,  but  their  bill  is 
much  thicker,  stronger,  and  shorter,  hence  better  adapted 
to  make  holes  in  the  trunks  of  trees. 

It  was  very  interesting  to  see  them  holding  to  the 
trees,  sometimes  with  their  heads  upward  and  sometimes 
with  their  heads  downward.  Some  had  just  begun  to 
work  at  the  aperture,  others  had  already  made  a  pret- 
ty deep  hole,  and  the  end  of  their  tail  only  could  be 
seen,  while  still  others  were  working  inside,  and  their 
bodies  could  not  be  seen  at  all,  though  now  and  then 


HOW  THEY  BUILD  THEIR  NESTS. 


131 


they  came  forth,  bringing  the  wood  they  had  pecked 
out. 

What  difficult  and  patient  toil !  The  making  of  one 
of  these  nests  requires  many  days.  It  is  no  easy  work 
for  birds  a  little  bigger  than  a  sparrow  to  peck  out  a  cir- 
cular opening  of  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  more  than 


THE  •fc 


LA    WORKING. 


two  inches  deep.  This  done,  they  dig  perpendicularly 
down  for  about  four  inches.  The  cavity  thus  made  is 
their  nest.  As  they  are  small  birds,  it  takes  them  a  long 
time  to  finish  this  piece  of  carpentering — often  two  or 
three  weeks.  There  the  female  lays  her  eggs  and  hatches 


132  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

them  in  security,  no  snake  or  wild  animal  being  able  to 
disturb  them. 

Not  only  do  they  use  these  nests  while  they  are 
hatching,  but  also  during  the  rainy  season.  How  cosy 
they  must  feel  in  these  places  of  refuge  when  a  storm  is 
raging!  Nothing  could  be  safer,  or  better  shelter  them 
from  the  rain.  The  aperture  being  about  two  inches  in 
thickness  before  you  come  to  the  perpendicular  hollow, 
of  course  the  rain  can  not  reach  the  inside. 

I  have  seen  trees  entirely  perforated  by  them ;  that  is 
to  say,  having  more  than  a  dozen  of  these  holes  in  them ; 
and  thus  forming  what  we  may  call  a  little  village  of 
themselves.  I  wonder  if  they  had  a  king !  These  birds 
are  very  shy,  and  the  least  noise  will  frighten  them. 
How  affectionate  the  pair  seemed  to  be,  how  willing  they 
were  to  help  each  other  in  their  work ! 

There  is  also  another  species  of  Barbatula  which  I 
have  discovered,  of  a  gray  color,  called  now  Barbatula 
futiginosa,  of  the  same  habits,  but  found  in  greater  num- 
bers. I  have  seen  colonies  of  them,  composed  of  thirty  or 
forty  nests,  on  the  same  tree. 

The  picture  given  by  the  artist  represents  the  birds 
working  and  making  their  nests. 

Now  I  must  speak  to  you  of  another  bird,  a  very  curi- 
ous one,  the  Sycobius  nigerrimus,  which  is  found  in  almost 
if  not  all  the  regions  I  have  explored  in  Equatorial  Af- 
rica. *The  habits  of  this  bird  are  most  extraordinary. 
They  are  extremely  sociable  birds ;  the  woods  or  the  un- 
inhabited plantations  have  no  charm  for  them ;  they  must 
be  where  people  live,  and  hence  they  prefer  always  to  live 
in  the  neighborhood  of  a  village.  If  there  are  trees  in  the 
middle  of  the  village  they  will  live  there,  or  on  the  trees 


AFRICAN  HANGING  BIRDS'   NESTS. 


THE  SYCOBIUS  NIQERRIMUS.  135 

back  of  the  huts,  and  not  far  from  where  the  palm  or 
plantain  trees  abound  ;  but  man  must  be  in  sight,  for  they 
seem  to  love  his  society. 

In  some  villages  they  are  found  in  immense  numbers, 
often  there  are  several  hundreds  of  nests  on  the  same  tree, 
but  it  depends  on  the  size  of  the  tree.  I  have  seen  sev- 
eral thousands  of  nests  on  a  single  tree,  of  which  they  take 
entire  possession  for  years.  The  Sycobii  are  a  little  lar- 
ger than  sparrows,  and  the  habits  of  these  little  twitter- 
ers  are  so  remarkable  that  I  never  wearied  of  watching 
their  curious  ways,  and  very  skillful  and  intelligent  ma- 
nosuvres  in  nest-building  or  in  gathering  food.  A  native 
village  would  lose  a  great  charm  without  them.  In  many 
villages  of  the  interior,  where  people  do  not  move  about, 
trees  are  planted  specially  for  them,  and  it  is  considered 
an  ill  omen  if  they  da  not  come.  They  make  such  a  noise 
from  morning  till  night  that  sometimes  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  hear  when  close  to  them ;  the  harder  at  work 
they  are  the  more  noise  they  make. 

There  are  two  species,  but  both  live  in  the  same  trees 
and  associate  indiscriminately  with  each  other,  though 
not,  of  course,  in  the  same  nests.  The  male  of  one  species 
is  entirely  black,  and  the  female  a  dark  gray,  while  in  the 
other  the  male  is  yellow,  with  black  and  yellow  throat. 
The  eggs  of  the  first  mentioned  are  bluish,  with  black 
spots,  while  those  of  the  other  species  are  light  pink,  with 
dark  spots.  Both  kinds  of  eggs  are  very  beautiful. 

They  are  singularly  industrious  birds :  they  seem  never 
to  weary  of  work.  When  they  have  settled  upon  a  tree 
on  which  to  plant  a  colony,  they  labor  from  daylight  till 
dark,  day  after  day,  with  seemingly  the  utmost  joy,  fun, 
and  perseverance  at  their  very  singular  pendent  nests. 


136  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

The  nest  is  round  in  shape,  or  nearly  so,  with  a  nanow 
passage  for  entrance  and  exit  leading  down  one  side  and 
opening  beneath.  It  is  securely  fastened  to  an  outstretched 
twig,  and  I  have  sometimes  counted  in  one  tree  more  than 
two  thousand  of  such  pendent  little  balls,  each  inhabited 
by  a  family,  male  and  female,  of  these  birds ;  and  once  I 
am  sure  I  saw  four  or  five  thousand  of  these  nests.  This 
I  saw  in  the  Ishogo  country,  of  which  1  may  speak  to  you 
one  of  these  days.  The  birds  when  building  strip  the 
leaf  off  the  palm,  or  plantain,  or  banana  tree.  They  split 
the  leaf  into  very  narrow  strips,  not  more  than  two  or 
three  lines  wide,  but  through  the  whole  length  of  the  leaf 
in  the  palm,  and  the  whole  breadth  of  the  leaf  in  the 
plantain,  beginning  from  the  rib. 

Male  and  female  both  work  at  gathering  this  material, 
and  every  piece  is  brought  up  to  the  tree.  How  strange- 
ly they  look  as  they  fly  with  them  from  the  place  where 
they  took  them  to  that  where  their  colony  is  situated !  It 
seems  as  if  they  were  carrying  away  a  long,  narrow  rib- 
bon. The  pendent  twig  having  been  chosen,  the  birds 
begin  to  turn  their  leaf-strips  over  the  twig,  and  to  inter- 
lace them  below  in  such  a  way  as  to  enable  the  finished 
nest  to  shed  rain.  The  birds  work  with  the  greatest  as- 
siduity with  both  beak  and  feet,  sometimes  with  the  head 
up,  sometimes  with  the  head  down.  Often  I  would  see  one 
little  fellow  one  minute  holding  by  his  feet  and  working  the 
strips  in  with  his  bill,  the  next  suspended  by  his  bill  and 
pushing  all  together  with  his  feet,  then  adroitly  slip- 
ping inside,  and  by  pushing  and  working  with  his  body 
giving  the  nest  a  round  shape.  The  entrance  is  the  last 
made,  and  they  are  knowing  enough  to  build  its  mouth 
down,  so  that  the  inside  may  be  sheltered  from  the  rains, 


TIME  OF  NEST  BUILDING.  137 

which  I  can  assure  you  pour  down  in  good  earnest  in  these 
equatorial  regions.  A  few  leaves  are  put  inside  where  the 
eggs  are  to  be  laid. 

Sometimes  trees  on  which  these  industrious  little  fel- 
lows build  are  quite  killed  by  the  weight  of  so  many 
nests,  and  by  the  space  they  occupy  preventing  the  reg- 
ular growth  of  the  branches.  The  nests  are  not  only  used 
to  breed  in,  but  also  to  live  in,  and  each  pair  breeds  sev- 
eral times  a  year,  raising  two  young  ones  in  a  brood.  Of 
course,  with  such  a  rapid  increase,  they  are  always  need- 
ing new  nests,  so  that  the  building  process  is  going  on 
almost  all  the  time. 

The  nests  looked  all  alike  to  my  eyes,  yet  each  bird 
was  always  able  to  find  its  own.  But  sometimes  I 
noticed  a  strong  fellow  trying  with  might  and  main  to 
oust  one  of  his  weaker  brethren  from  his  home,  or  to 
drive  him  from  the  work  he  had  begun ;  then  there  was 
a  downright  fight  for  possession. 

They  have  a  foreknowledge  of  the  rainy  season  evi- 
dently, for  just  before  this  sets  in  they  are  particularly 
active  in  building  and  repairing,  and  at  such  a  time  the 
village  where  they  have  settled  is  alive  with  their  merry 
twittering  and  active  bustle. 

Of  course,  during  the  dry  or  cold  season  very  little 
building  is  going  on. 

I  shall  always  have  a  pleasant  recollection  of  these 
Sycdbii,  and  no  one  was  ever  allowed  to  disturb  them 
at  Washington,  where  I  had  three  or  four  little  trees 
full  of  their  nests.  The  natives  like  to  see  them  round 
them,  and  no  village  is  thought  to  be  perfect  without 
them. 


ON  THE    OFOTJBOU   RIVER. — ELEPHANTS   BATHING. — PURSUIT 
THKOUGH   THE    SWAMP. ESCAPE    OF   THE    ELEPHANTS. 

IF  you  could  have  visited  me,  you  would  have  found 
me  on  the  banks  of  the  Ovenga  River,  at  the  village  of 
my  Bakalai  friend  Obindji. 

Numbers  of  canoes,  made  each  from  the  trunk  of  a 
single  tree,  are  on  the  river-bank.  My  friend  Quengueza 
is  giving  his  orders  for  the  comfort  of  Ntangani :  "  his 
friend  Paul "  is  going  away  with  him. 

We  are  going  to  leave,  for  there  is  nothing  more  to 
eat  at  friend  Obindji's.  Game  has  become  scarce,  ele- 
phants and  gorillas  have  destroyed  their  plantations,  and 
disappeared.  We  are  too  kind-hearted,  however,  to  tell 
good  Obindji  that -we  are  obliged  to  leave  his  village  be- 
cause we  are  hungry  every  day. 

We  are  going  to  ascend  the  Ofoubou  River,  which  is 
one  of  the  affluents  of  the  Ovenga,  and  are  bound  for 
the  village  of  Njali-Coudie.  This  is  a  strange  name  to 
give  to  a  town,  but  there  are  many  strange  names  in  this 
country.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  pronounce  them 
according  to  the  African  standard,  and  that  you  will 
remember  them. 

Obindji  is  on  the  beach,  beating  his  kendo  (the  royal 
sceptre)  and  invoking  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  to  pro- 


THE  DEPARTURE.  139 

tect  his  friend  Quengueza,  and  his  Ntanga  (white  man). 
He  is  covered  with  fetiches,  and  has  rubbed  his  body 
with  the  chalk  of  the  Alumbi. 

The  kendo  is  the  badge  of  royalty  in  some  of  these 
tribes  of  Africa.  I  will  give  you  a  description  of  the 
kendo.  It  is  a  rude  ball  of  iron,  fashioned  with  a  long 
handle,  also  of  iron,  and  of  the  same  piece.  The  sound 
which  with  us  announces  the  vicinity  of  a  herd  of  cows 
or  sheep,  in  Africa  precedes  the  advent  of  the  sovereign, 
who  uses  the  kendo  only  when  on  visits  of  state  or  on 
business  of  importance. 

When  they  wear  the  kendo  it  is  on  the  shoulder,  and 
there  is  put  over  it  the  skin  of  a  genetta,  in  which  some 
of  the  Alumbi  powder  is  kept. 

In  this  case  friend  Obindji  thought  it  was  very  im- 
portant that  the  spirits  of  his  ancestors  should  follow  us. 
He  wanted  good  wishes  to  precede  us.  Hence  he  said, 
he  hoped  we  would  have  plenty  to  eat,  and  that  I  would 
kill  all  the  game  I  wanted. 

Obindji  was  really  in  earnest,  and  jabbered  away  in  a 
manner  and  with  an  eagerness  that  was  laughable ;  he 
had  certainly  plenty  of  faith  in  the  powers  he  was  in- 
voking. 

The  canoes  were  ready,  and  soon  friend  King  Quen- 
gueza gave  the  order  for  our  "departure.  His  Majesty 
was  in  his  royal  travelling  costume.  He  had  on  a  coat 
which  I  had  given  him,  but  no  shirt ;  he  had  a  cravat 
round  his  neck,  and  instead  of  pantaloons,  which,  by  the 
way,  I  had  never  been  able  to  make  him  wear,  he  had 
a  cloth  round  his  waist.  His  bag  hung  over  his  shoul- 
der, and  in  this  was  his  ogana  (idol) ;  there  also  he  had 
a  good  supply  of  tobacco,  his  pipes,  and  several  other 


140  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  -THE  EQUATOR. 

things,  among  which  were  articles  for  the  toilet  of  his 
Majesty,  such  as  a  little  calabash  of  palm-oil  to  rub  on 
his  skin  to  soften  it,  and  to  give  to  some  of  his  wives 
when  he  wished  to  be  particularly  amiable. 

In  this  journey  his  Majesty  thought  he  would  have 
ten  wives  to  accompany  him,  and  to  provide  for  his 
comfort ;  and  though  King  Quengueza  was,  I  should 
judge,  at  least  seventy-five,  the  oldest  among  these  ten 
wives  could  not  have  been  more  than  fourteen  years  of 
age,  and  he  had  left  a  few  behind  still  younger  than 
these. 

Quengueza  and  I,  with  two  of  the  favorite  wives,  in- 
cluding a  Bakalai  one,  were  in  the  royal  canoe,  at  the 
head  of  which  was  a  drummer.  I  fired  a  salute,  and 
soon  a  bend  of  the  river  hid  us  from  Obindji's  view. 
The  drums  were  beating,  and  all  the  men  were  singing. 
All  the  other  canoes  paddled  in  front  of  us  except  one, 
which  kept  in  the  rear. 

The  starry  flag  floated  gracefully  in  the  royal  canoe. 
Quengueza  was  wonderfully  pleased  with  the  flag.  We 
entered  the  Ofoubou  Eiver  and  fired  another  gun,  the 
echo  of  which  resounded  from  hill  to  hill,  and  started 
the  roar  of  a  gorilla,  which  could  not  have  been  half  a 
mile  distant  from  where  we  were.  That  fellow  was  cer- 
tainly a  large  male  gorilla. 

The  Ofoubou  was  a  narrow  river,  but  deep  at  that  time 
of  the  year :  trees  and  palm  lined  its  banks,  which  it  had 
overflowed,  spreading  its  waters  over  the  strip  of  lowlands 
which  bounded  it,  and  which  separated  it  from  the  hills. 

Njali-Coudie  was  situated  about  ten  miles  distant  from 
the  banks  of  the  Ofoubou.  By-and-by  the  singing  ceased, 
and  we  paddled  silently  along,  when  suddenly  one  of  the 


A  HERD  OF  ELEPHANTS  BATHING.  141 

canoes  ahead  made  us  a  sign  to  be  very  quiet.  "What 
is  going  on  ?"  I  whispered  to  Quengueza.  Quengueza  in 
a  low  voice  replied,  "I  know  not."  Every  man  looked 
carefully  at  his  gun.  The  canoe  ahead  had  stopped, 
neither  retreating  or  advancing.  What  could  it  be  ?  We 
pulled  with  the  utmost  care ;  our  paddles,  as  they  dipped 
into  the  water,  made  no  noise  at  all,  and  at  last  we  all  met. 

Then  Adouma,  the  king's  nephew,  came  and  whisper- 
ed low — "  Elephants  are  here,  they  are  bathing  in  the  riv- 
er. I  have  heard  them." 

"  Are  you  sure  they  are  elephants  ?" 

"  Are  they  not  hippopotami?"  I  asked. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  they  are  elephants." 

The  countenances  of  all  the  fellows  brightened  up ; 
the  ivory  tusks  of  the  noble  beast  were,  they  thought,  al- 
ready in  their  possession — they  were  selling  the  skin  of 
the  fox  before  having  killed  the  animal. 

We  let  all  our  canoes  pass  down  the  stream  a  little 
way,  in  order  that  we  might  hold  a  grand  palaver. 
Adouma,  Quabi,  Eapero,  all  Quengueza's  nephews,  were 
present.  Querlaouen  and  Malaouen,  the  two  most  redoubt- 
able warriors  of  the  Bakalai  of  the  Ovenga,  were  also 
there ;  these  five,  with  Quengueza  and  myself,  formed  the 
Grand  Council. 

Quengueza,  being  an  old  man,  was  to  remain  where  he 
was  with  all  the  party,  while  myself  and  the  five  others 
were  to  move  in  a  canoe  and  make  land  near  where  the 
elephants  were. 

Immediately  the  fellows  covered  themselves  with  their 
fetiches ;  Querlaouen  and  Malaouen  bled  their  hands,  and 
then  we  looked  carefully  at  our  guns.  Though  we  were 
more  than  one  hundred  men  altogether,  the  falling  of  a 


142  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

leaf  could  have  been  heard  by  any  one  of  us,  the  silence 
was  so  profound. 

The  canoe  that  was  to  take  us  came.  Adouma  and 
Quabi  paddled,  and  onward  we  went  until  we  reached  a 
bend  of  the  river,  and  I  could  distinctly  hear  the  ele- 
phants. So  we  thought  best  to  land  inside  of  the  bend, 
which  we  did  without  uttering  a  whisper  for  fear  of  alarm- 
ing the  elephants.  After  landing  the  great  difficulty  was 
how  to  gain  the  other  side.  The  country  was  overflowed, 
it  was  all  bog-land,  yet  to  the  elephants  we  must  go.  We 
could  not  possibly  follow  the  edges  of  the  forest  that 
bordered  the  Ofoubou,  for  we  should  have  soon  found 
ourselves  in  twenty  feet  of  water,  and  in  the  middle  of  a 
strong  current.  These  bog-lands  are  always  dangerous 
things  on  the  banks  of  the  overflowed  African  rivers. 

I  hung  my  powder-flask  close  to  my  neck,  and  also 
my  watch,  in  case  the  water  should  be  deep,  for  I  am  not 
tall.  My  men  took  the  same  precaution  with  their  bags, 
and  then  Malaouen  took  -the  lead.  Where  we  landed  there 
was  no  dry  spot,  and  as  we  advanced  through  the  woods 
we  immediately  found  ourselves  entangled  in  the  midst 
of  the  roots  of  the  trees,  with  the  water  above  our  waists, 
sinking  knee  deep  into  the  mud,  ignorant  at  every  step 
whether  the  next  might  bring  us  into  water  up  to  our  necks 
or  above  our  heads.  That  was  about  as  difficult  a  tramp 
as  I  ever  had  had  in  all  my  travels.  Suddenly  Quer- 
laouen's  foot  caught  under  some  roots,  and  down  he  went 
into  the  water,  gun  and  all.  He  immediately  swore  in 
Bakalai  that  somebody  had  bewitched  him,  and  did  not 
want  him  to  kill  an  elephant.  Finally  we  came  to  a  place 
where  the  water  reached  my  neck,  I  being  the  shortest 
of  all ;  so  I  took  my  watch  and  powder  in  one  hand  and 


WE  ARE  TOO  LATE. 


143 


my  gun  in  the  other,  raising  both  arms  as  high  as  I  could, 
and  at  every  moment  I  fully  expected  to  go  down.  One 
step  more  and  the  water  just  reached  my  mouth,  but  hap- 
pily the  next  step  took  me  on  higher  ground. 

At  last  we  succeeded  in  crossing  the  bend,  and  came 
in  sight  of  the  elephants,  who  did  not  observe  our  ap- 
proach. 

They  were  seven  altogether.  What  a  huge  beast 
the  male  was !  The  other  six  were  all  females,  so  said 
Malaouen.  They  were  perfectly  unconscious  of  our 


presence,  and  swam  to  and  fro  in  the  narrow*  river.  Un- 
fortunately they  were  very  far  from  us,  being  very  nearly 
half  a  mile  off,  and  to  come  to  a  good  shooting  distance 
in  this  awful  swamp  would  take  some  time. 

Their  large  ears  contrasted  singularly  with  the  small 
ears  of  their  Asiatic  brethren ;  they  were  also  somewhat 
smaller.  Several  of  them  had  huge  tusks  of  ivory ; 


144  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

those  of  the  bull  were  gigantic.    They  were  bathing,  and 
evidently  enjoying  themselves. 

We  now  followed  with  great  care  the  banks  of  the 
river  about  ten  or  fifteen  yards  inside  of  them,  until  at 
last  the  water  became  so  deep  that  we  came  to  a  halt. 
How  sorry  we  felt !  I  would  have  given  much  if  I  could 
have  come  near  the  elephants;  but  as  we  approached 
the  banks  we  saw  the  elephants  leaving  the  river. 
What  monsters  they  seemed !  I  shouldered  my  long- 
range  rifle,  aimed  at  the  big  male,  with  but  little  hope  of 
killing  it,  as  I  must  have  been  several  hundred  yards  off. 
I  fired,  heard  the  bullet  strike  one  of  the  tusks,  when  the 
animals  plunged  into  the  forest,  breaking  down  every 
thing  before  them. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

XJALI-COUDIE. — AN    AFRICAN    TOWN. THE    CHIEF. COURT- 
SHIP   AND    MARRIAGE    IN    AFRICA. BUYING   A   WIFE.  — 

QUARREL    OVER   THE    SPOILS. 

Now,  after  many  wanderings,  I  find  myself  in  the  very 
large  village  of  Bakalai  called  Njali-Coudie.  Often  I 
wonder  that  I  have  not  been  murdered  by  these  Baka- 
lai, for  they  are  very  treacherous,  and  life  seems  to  them 
to  be  of  no  value. 

The  village  of  Njali-Coudie  is  situated  in  the  very 
hilly  country  between  the  Ofoubou  and  Ovenga  Rivers. 
It  was  one  of  the  largest  Bakalai  villages  I  had  ever 
seen.  The  people  were  wild;  their  houses  were  small, 
very  small  indeed,  and  built  with  the  bark  of  trees.  It 
was  surrounded  by  large  plantain  groves  and  clusters 
of  sugar-cane. 

The  name  of  the  chief  of  that  strange  village  was 
Mbango,  and  a  fine  savage  he  was.  His  hair  and  his 
beard  were  white.  Round  his  waist  was  a  piece  of  grass- 
cloth  ;  by  his  side  hung  a  tremendous  war-knife ;  and 
on  each  of  his  ankles  he  wore  two  tremendous  iron 
rings.  Round  his  neck  he  wore  some  raonda  fetich, 
which  he  thought  could  protect  him  from  evil  spirits  and 
from  being  bewitched.  Round  him  hung  some  charmed 
powder,  preserved  in  the  skin  of  a  wild  animal.  Around 
his  chest  he  wore  a  strip  of  leopard's  skin,  which  his  peo« 
G 


146  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

pie  believed  could  never  be  pierced  by  spears  or  arrows. 
So  we  might  say  that  King  Mbango  thought  himself  in- 
vulnerable. 

The  people  of  the  village  were  a  hard  set  of  quar- 
relsome-looking fellows.  The  women  were  not  beautiful, 
indeed  they  were  very  ugly ;  and  even  King  Mbango's 
head-wife  was  far  from  being  a  belle.  She  was  a  tall 
woman;  her  teeth  were  filed  to  a  point;  her  hair  was 
anointed  profusely  with  palm-oil ;  her  face  was  all  tat- 
tooed; and  on  each  side  of  her  cheek,  a  little  below  the 
eye,  there  were  two  round  spots  of  flesh  of  the  size  of  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar.  They  had  succeeded  in  raising  the 
flesh,  and  it  must  have  required  a  good  deal  of  skill.  On 
her  chest  any  amount  of  fantastical  tattooing  could  be 
seen ;  even  her  back  was  not  free  from  this  ornamenta- 
tion. Such  is  the  faithful  picture  of  Mbango's  head- 
wife,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten.  She  wore  several 
brass  anklets,  and  also  several  bracelets.  King  Mbango 
had  a  score  of  wives  besides  her,  but  she  was  the  first 
woman  he  had  married;  hence  she  was  the  Queen — the 
foremost  of  them  all.  When  Mbango  married  a  new 
wife,  she  gave  her  advice  and  told  her  how  she  must  love 
Mbango,  how  she  must  obey  him,  how  laboriously  she 
must  cultivate  the  soil  in  order  to  bring  food  to  her 
husband,  and  how  she  must  often  fish  in  order  to  feed 
her  lord  well.  If  she  does  all  this,  the  king  will  say,  "  This 
wife  really  loves  me."  But  if  she  does  not,  beware ! 
If  she  is  lazy,  the  lash  of  whips  made  from  the  hide  of 
the  hippopotamus,  or  of  the  manatee,  will  remind  her 
of  her  duties,  and  of  the  love  she  owes  to  her  husband. 

Do  not  think  for  a  moment  that  women  in  that  far-off 
country  of  which  I  speak  to  you  choose  their  husbands. 


AN  AFRICAN  BETROTHAL.  147 

Nothing  of  the  sort!  When  a  girl  is  born  among 
the  Bakalai,  while  she  is  still  a  child  she  is  often  betroth- 
ed, and  now  and  then  she  goes  to  the  village  where  her 
future  husband  lives.  Her  mother  or  her  father  will 
take  her  there,  and  after  a  while  she  comes  back  to  her 
home,  and  this  continues  until  she  is  finally  given  away. 
As  she  grows  older  she  visits  her  intended  husband  less 
frequently,  while  he,  on  the  other  hand,  comes  oftener  to 
the  village  of  her  parents. 

You  will  ask  me  how  they  get  betrothed  or  engaged. 
No  ring  is  given.  The  man  who  comes  to  ask  the  girl 
comes  first  to  talk  the  matter  over.  He  brings  a  few 
presents,  say  a  goat  or  a  few  fowls,  and  a  few  jars,  of 
palm  wine,  and  places  them  at  the  feet  of  the  girl's  father. 
Then  he  begins  a  long  rigmarole,  and  if  he  could  he 
would  go  as  far  back  as  Adam.  At  first  he  speaks  at 
random,  talking  to  somebody  else  all  the  time,  for  they 
never  speak  directly  to  the  person  they  address.  Thus 
he  goes  on  for  a  couple  of  hours  before  he  comes  to  the 
point.  In  the  mean  time  the  presents  are  still  lying  be- 
fore the  father.  The  whole  people  of  the  village  are 
there  listening,  and  approving  or  disapproving  by  grunts. 
The  man  gets  tremendously  excited,  and  begins  to  hal- 
loo until  he  is  covered  with  perspiration.  After  he 
has  finished  there  is  a  pause.  Somebody  else  gets  up, 
and  pleads  sometimes  for  the  suitor,  and  sometimes  in 
behalf  of  the  villagers  or  relatives  to  whom  the  girl  be- 
longs. 

At  last  the  father  gets  up,  and  he  tries  to  play  a 
shrewd  game.  He  never  means  what  he  says  ;  he  talks 
not  to  the  suitor  but  to  one  that  has  come  with  him,  for  it 
is  the  fashion  here,  as  I  have  said,  never  to  speak  directly 


148  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

to  the  person  whom  you  wish  to  address.  He  seems  as- 
tonished that  a  man  is  .bold  enough  to  ask  his  beautiful 
daughter  in  marriage.  He  sings  her  praises,  generally 
pockets  the  presents,  and  says  he  will  think  about  it 

After  this  palaver  the  relations  on  the  mother's  and 
the  father's  side  are  presented  with  the  amount  for  which 
the  girl  is  sold  ;  and  when  the  final  agreement  has  been 
made,  the  spoils  are  divided  among  the  two  families. 

This  is  the  way  girls  are  given  in  marriage  in  this  part 
of  the  world. 

Mbango  had  a  beautiful  girl,  whom  he  seemed  to  love 
dearly,  and  she  was  not  betrothed.  One  day  a  fellow 
came  from  a  neighboring  village.  He  had  with  him  a 
slave  to  give  to  Mbango,  several  jars  of  palm  wine,  a  goat, 
some  native  tobacco  coming  from  a  country  of  the  interior, 
called  Ashira,  and  he  put  all  these  things  at  the  feet  of 
Mbango,  who  was  seated  on  a  stool  and  ready  to  hear  him. 
After  having  talked  a  long  time,  he  presented  his  slave, 
his  goat,  and  all  the  presents  he  had  brought  with  him  to 
the  King,  and  asked  his  daughter  in  marriage. 

Old  Mbango  got  up  and  pretended  to  be  in  a  furious 
rage,  but  it  was  all  sham ;  he  kicked  and  broke  the  jars  of 
palm  wine.  How  could  a  man  come  and  presume  to  offer 
him  only  one  slave  for  his  daughter,  she  who  was  sought 
after  by  so  many  suitors  ?  He  could  not  believe  his  ears ; 
and  Mbango  went  roaming  about,  brandishing  his  cane. 
In  the  mean  time  the  poor  fellow  had  fled  in  dismay, 
leaving  his  slave,  his  goat,  and  all  his  presents  behind. 

Mbango's  pretended  anger  was  a  humbug.  He  want- 
ed more  presents,  and  appeared  highly  indignant.  So  the 
next  day  the  suitor  came  back,  and  brought  with  him  an- 
other slave  he  had  kept  in  reserve,  guessing  that  King 


MBANO  0  GIVES  HIS  DA  UGHTEE  IN  MAILRIA  GE.       149 

Mbango  would  not  be  Satisfied  with  one.  He  knew  well 
that  it  required  more  than  one  in  order  to  marry  the 
daughter  of  a  chief,  and  he  wanted  to  get  his  bride  as 
cheap  as  he  could.  Mbango  looked  very  stern.  How 
had  he  dared  to  come  with  one  slave  only?  Did  he 
think  his  daughter  was  good  for  nothing  ? 

Mbango  was  far  more  gentle.  He  took  the  other  slave, 
and  then  said  that  one  more  would  settle  the  bargain — 
then  he  could  take  his  bride  with  him. 

The  next  day  another  slave  came ;  the  man  swore  that 
his  uncle  gave  the  man  to  him,  though  I  learned  after- 
ward that  he  had  that  third  slave  ready,  but  that  he 
thought  that  two  slaves  would  do.  The  share  of  Mbango 
for  his  daughter  was  two  slaves,  and  that  of  the  relatives 
of  the  mother  of  the  girl  was  one  slave ;  and  Mbango, 
wishing  to  appear  generous,  gave  them  the  goat.  The 
relatives  on  the  mother's  side  of  the  girl  tried  to  get  two 
slaves  out  of  the  three  ;  it  was  a  hard  palaver,  and  lasted 
several  days,  but  Mbango  was  inexorable — he  must  have 
two  slaves  for  his  share. 

There  was  no  ceremony.  The  man  took  his  bride  with 
him,  and  after  a  few  days  she  was  to  return  to  her  father. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    FEAST    OF    NJAMBAI. THE    TALKING    IDOL. SECRET 

PROCEEDINGS. — THE    WOMEN   AND   THEIR   MYSTERIES. 

THE  village  of  Njali-Coudie  became  full  of  strangers, 
so  full  indeed  that  many  could  not  find  shelter  there,  hence 
little  olakos  were  surrounding  the  village  everywhere. 

When  I  inquired  the  cause  why  so  many  strangers 
were  in  the  village,  I  was  told  that  the  Njambai  feast  was 
coming. 

The  first  night  I  could  not  sleep,  as  no  African  feast  is 
complete  without  shouting,  drumming,  singing,  dancing, 
and  a  good  deal  of  drinking,  when  the  latter  can  be  got. 
The  noise  was  terrific ;  more  than  one  hundred  tam-tams 
must  have  been  beating. 

At  last  I  got  up  and  went  into  the  street.  It  was 
crowded  with  men,  women,  and  children.  Fires  and  torch- 
es lighted  it  up,  and  gave  a  strange  appearance  to  the  sav- 
ages, who  were  painted  in  different  colors. 

Seeing  a  great  crowd,  I  went  there,  and  I  saw  in  the 
middle  of  the  street  a  large  wooden  idol.  It  was  a  female 
figure,  nearly  of  life  size,  and  with  cloven  feet  like  those 
of  a  stag.  Her  eyes  were  of  copper ;  one  cheek  was  paint- 
ed red,  and  the  other  yellow.  About  her  neck  hung  a 
necklace  of  leopard's  teeth.  This  idol  is  said  to  have 
great  power,  and  the  people  believe  that  on  certain  occa- 


THE  NJAMBAI  FEAST.  151 

sions  she  nods  her  head.  She  is  said  to  talk  quite  fre- 
quently— as  might,  indeed,  be  expected.  She  is  very 
highly  venerated  by  the  people.  Before  her  stood  plan- 
tains, sugar-cane,  and  a  piece  of  antelope.  The  people 
were  dancing  around  her,  singing  most  furiously  and 
drumming  with  tremendous  force.  They  were  so  much 
excited  and  so  much  in  earne^that  their  bodies  were 
bright  and  shiny;  for  the  oil  their  skin  naturally  pos- 
sesses comes  out  so  abundantly  that  one  might  have 
thought  they  had  dipped  themselves  in  it.  The  perfume 
was  not  particularly  pleasant,  but  I  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  it. 

How  wild  the  scene,  how  wild  the  men  as  they  danced 
round !  They  looked  almost  like  demons.  Sometimes  a 
single  man  would  come  forth  and  dance  before  the  idol, 
making  the  most  horrid  contortions  possible,  and,  speak- 
ing to  her,  would  vanish  again.  This  idol  belonged  to 
the  clan  of  which  Mbango  was  the  chief,  and  had  been  in 
their  possession  as  far  back  as  they  had  any  remembrance. 
The  clan  of  Mbango  includes  half  a  dozen  large  villages 
within  a  circuit  of  thirty  miles ;  hence  the  idol  of  the  clan 
remains  with  him.  But  that  night  there  was  no  nodding 
and  no  talking  of  the  idol.  The  people  began  to  be 
frightened,  and  their  ignorant  doctors  were  at  their  wits' 
end,  and  did  not  know  what  to  do. 

On  the  night  of  the  two  following  days  there  was  a 
dead  silence  and  a  great  darkness :  no  fire  was  allowed 
in  the  village,  no  torch  could  be  lighted.  The  only 
light  was  mine,  and  that  was  closely  shut  up  in  my  hut: 

What  a  strange  scene  !  Not  a  voice  could  be  heard  ; 
for  he  who  should  have  dared  to  talk  would  have  proba- 
bly paid  with  his  life  for  his  rashness. 


152  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

Two  or  three  times  a  strange  feeling  of  awe  took  hold 
of  me,  for  I  stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  this  wild  peo- 
ple, and  what  could  be  wilder  than  these  superstitious 
scenes  ?  It  is  not  wonderful  that  these  poor  weak  creat- 
ures, in  sight  of  such  idols  as  they  have,  are  frightened 
even  at  themselves. 

The  Mbuiti  was  seHbut  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
and  the  people  stood  round  her  in  the  pitchy  darkness. 
She  is  said  to  have  bowed,  walked  about,  and  spoken  to 
some  one,  expressing  her  pleasure  at  two  gazelles  that  had 
been  offered  to  her.  She  ate  some  of  the  meat — so  I 
was  assured — and  left  the  rest  for  the  people. 

Yes!  they  all  believed  the  reports  which  I  have  just 
related  to  you.  I  felt  very  sorry  that  the  mind  of  man 
could  be  so  debased.  What  they  asked  of  the  idol  I 
have  never  been  able  to  find  out ;  they  were  unwilling 
to  tell  me.  At  any  rate,  they  were  pleased,  for  they 
thought  the  idol  had  spoken,  had  nodded,  and  had  eaten. 

Now  let  us  come  to  Njambai.  Njambai  is  a  spirit, 
a  very  good  spirit,  who  protects  the  women.  All  the 
tribes  I  have  visited  believe  in  him  or  her,  though*  with 
all  the  name  is  not  the  same.  All  the  women  venerate 
Njambai.  This  worship  of  the  women  is  a  kind  of 
mystery,  no  men  being  admitted  to  the  ceremonies,  which 
are  carried  on  in  a  house  very  carefully  closed.  This 
house  was  covered  with  dry  palm  and  banana  leaves^ 
and  had  not  even  a  door  open  to  the  street.  To 
make  all  close,  so  as  to  prevent  the  eyes  of  man  from 
penetrating  into  it,  it  was  set  against  two  other  houses, 
and  the  entrance  was  through  one  of  these,  so  that  com- 
plete darkness  reigned  in  the  house  of  Njarnbai.  Mban- 
go  and  friend  Quengueza  warned  me  not  to  go  to  the 


MYSTERIOUS  WORSHIP  OF  THE  WOMEN.  153 

place,  for  the  King  said — "  Ntanga,  I  myself  can  not  go 
and  have  a  look." 

The  feast  of  Njambai  takes  place  once  a  year. 

The  women  had  come  from  all  the  villages  round ; 
they  had  come  for  the  Njambai  feast.  They  had  all 
painted  their  faces  and  bodies,  were  beating  drums,  and 
marching  about  the  town.  Now  and  then  they  would 
all  go  into  the  forest,  whence  I  could  hear  their  wild 
songs.  From  time  to  time  they  entered  the  Njambai- 
house,  where  they  danced  inside  and  outside;  and  one 
night  they  made  a  most  outrageous  noise,  far  greater 
than  even  the  men  had  made  when  I  came  to  the 
village. 

I  thought  it  pretty  hard  not  to  be  able  to  sleep.  Aft- 
er a  few  days  I  began  to  feel  the  need  of  it,  but  I  did 
not  wish  to  go  and  make  my  camp  in  the  woods,  for  I 
wanted  to  see  the  feast  of  Njambai.  The  men  were 
hunting  all  the  time,  and  all  the  game  they  killed  or 
caught  they  brought  to  the  women,  who  offered  them  all 
to  Njambai. 

On  the  second  day  they  nearly  all  went  off  into  the 
woods,  and  their  songs  were  something  wonderful. 
Now  and  then  I  could  hear  the  narpe  of  Njambai.  I 
noticed  that  in  the  morning  a  few  had  entered  the 
Njambai-house,  where  they  remained,  keeping  a  myste- 
rious silence.  Now  my  curiosity,  which  had  been  great- 
ly excited  to  know  what  took  place  in  that  secret  wor- 
ship, finally  overcame  me.  I  resolved  to  see  the  inside 
of  this  house  if  I  could.  I  fancy  many  of  you  would 
have  done  the  same. 

I  walked  several  times  up  and  down  the  street  to 
avoid  suspicion.  Looking  round  and  seeing  nobody,  I 
G2 


154 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 


went  quietly  by  the  house,  and  at  last  suddenly  pushed 
aside  some  of  the  leaves  that  formed  the  walls  and  stuck 
my  head  through  it.  For  a  moment  I  could  distinguish 
nothing  in  the  darkness.  Then  I  beheld  three  perfect- 
ly naked  old  hags  sitting  on  the  clay  floor,  with  an  im- 
mense bundle  of  greegrees  or  fetiches  before  them,  which 
they  seemed  to  be  contemplating  in  silent  adoration. 


I  was  put  aback,  for  I  expected  to  see  no  one.  As 
soon  as  their  fear  and  wonder  had  somewhat  subsided, 
they  set  up  a  hideous  howl  of  rage,  and  rushed  out  to 
call  their  companions  in  the  bush.  In  a  few  minutes 
these  came  rushing  toward  me  with_  gesture  of  anger, 
and  threatening  me  for  my  offense.  I  quickly  reached 


AM  BESIEGED  BY  THE  WOMEN.  155 

my  house,  and,  seizing  my  gun  in  one  hand  and  my  re- 
volver in  the  other,  told  them  I  would  shoot  the  first 
one  that  came  inside  my  door.  I  never  saw  such  an  in- 
furiated set.  My  house  was  surrounded  by  above  three 
hundred  angry  women,  every  one  shouting  out  curses  at 
me  ;  and  still  they  kept  coming  in,  their  number  every 
moment  growing  greater  and  greater. 

King  Mbango  came  to  the  rescue.  I  was  glad  of  it, 
for  I  had  never  been  in  such  a  predicament  before.  I 
had  never  faced  in  my  life  an  angry  mob  of  women  be- 
fore ;  and  here  there  were  hundreds  of  them  before  me, 
who  seemed  ready  to  tear  my  eyes  out  of  my  head,  or 
commit  such  other  gentle  little  deeds  as  I  certainly 
thought  no  female  could  attempt. 

Presently  they  went  back  to  the  Njambai-house,  and 
I  felt  quite  relieved.  I  had  become  almost  deaf,  and 
had  wondered  how  I  should  get  out  of  the  scrape. 

At  last  a  deputation  of  the  women  came  to  King 
Mbango  and  to  Quengueza,  who  told  the  women  I  was 
their  guest.  The  women  did  not  wish  to  yield,  but  at 
last  King  Mbango  and  his  male  subjects  came  one  by 
one  and  put  their  offerings  before  the  women.  These 
consisted  of  grass-cloth,  knives,  plates,  bracelets,  anklets, 
etc.,  etc.  With  these  the  angry  women  were  appeased, 
and  there  the  quarrel  ended.  Of  course  I  could  not 
make  any  further  investigations  into  their  mysteries.  I 
was  watched  very  closely,  and  Mbango  came  and  im- 
plored me  not  to  go  again,  saying — "  The  wrath  of  Njam- 
bai  may  come  upon  us  !" 

The  Njambai  feast  lasted  about  two  weeks.  I  could 
learn  very  little  about  the  spirit  which  they  call  by  this 
name.  It  protects  the  women  against  their  male  ene- 


156 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  JEQUATOIt. 


mies,  avenges  their  wrongs,  and  serves  them  in  various 
ways. 

What  I  have  told  you  is  all  I  know  about  it,  but  I 
thought  it  might  interest  you  as  it  did  me.  I  only  hope 
that,  whenever  you  travel,  it  will  never  happen  to  you 
to  have  several  hundreds  of  infuriated  women  after  you, 
for  I  can  assure  you  that  I  would  have  rather  encounter- 
ed a  gorilla  of  the  worst  kind  than  to  face  them. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SICK   IN  A   STRANGE   LAND. ADVENTURE   WITH  A  SNAKE. — 

HOW   A   SQUIRREL   WAS    CHARMED. 

I  WAS  in  the  forest,  under  a  large  tree,  very  ill.  I  had 
been  sick  with  a  fever  for  some  weeks,  and  all  the  medi- 
cine I  had  taken  seemed  to  do  me  no  good.  Little  by 
little  my  strength  gave  way.  The  days  and  the  nights 
seemed  so  long !  I  am  sure  that  if  you  had  seen  me 
you  would  have  pitied  me.  There  I  was  in  that  great  for- 
est, which  was  full  of  wild  men  and  still  wilder  beasts. 
How  helpless,  how  sad,  how  lonely  I  felt ! 

The  hand  of  death  was  close  upon  me.  Looking  at  my- 
self in  the  looking-glass,  the  sunken  and  pallid  cheeks 
told  how  much  I  had  suffered.  My  eyes  grew  dim,  and 
I  began  to  realize  that  soon  my  days  were  to  be  ended, 
and  that  I  was  to  die  in  that  desert  place,  far  away  from 
home  and  friends,  and  that  the  wild  beasts  of  the  woods 
would  come  and  devour  me. 

My  bed  was  made  of  leaves,  my  pillow  was  the  branch 
of  a  tree.  Instead  of  blankets  I  had  two  fires,  but  I  was 
so  burning  hot  the  greater  part  of  the  time  with  fever 
that  I  cared  not  for  these.  Close  to  me  lay  my  little 
Bible,  on  my  small  and  now  almost  empty  medicine  chest, 
but  I  could  only  look  at  it,  for  I  could  not  read  any  more ; 


158  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

there  were  a  few  books  also,  and  a  few  old  newspapers 
from  New  York. 

Over  my  bed  was  a  covering  of  leaves  to  protect  me 
from  the  rains. 

At  last  I  was  too  feeble  to  rise  and  quench  my  thirst 
in  the  little  stream  near  where  my  camp  was  made,  or  to 
go  there  and  bathe  my  burning  head.  So  the  kind  wom- 
en got  water  and  bathed  my  head.  I  could  not  eat,  for  I 
had  nothing.  At  times  I  thought  that  if  I  could  only  have 
a  little  piece  of  dry  bread,  how  much  I  should  relish  it !  I 
could  bear  the  plantains  and  the  wild  berries  and  fruits 
no  longer.  There  were  days  when  I  felt  so  lonely,  so 
wretched,  so  poor,  so  helpless,  that  the  tears  rolled  down 
my  cheeks.  The  days  of  my  boyhood  came  back  before 
me,  for  they  had  been  happy  days.  Then,  instead  of  a 
piece  of  wood,  I  had  a  soft  pillow  to  lay  my  head  upon ; 
then  there  were  gentle  hands  that  caressed  me  \^en  I 
was  sick.  Where  was  that  cosy  little  bed  now  ?  What  a 
contrast !  I  thought  of  the  friends  of  my  youth — of  little 
Lucy,  of  Julia,  and  Laura,  and  Jessie.  What  had  become 
of  beautiful  little  Lottie,  with  her  fair  hair,  and  of  charm- 
ing little  Maggie,  with  her  dark  hair?  What  friends  we 
had  once  been !  Lottie  had  been  like  a  sister  to  me.  I 
wondered  if  they  thought  sometimes  of  me,  or  if  some  of 
them  might  have  gone  to  heaven.  What  had  become  of 
them  ?  I  knew  that,  if  they  were  by,  they  would  take 
care  of  "  little  Paul,"  as  they  used  to  call  me. 

I  remembered  the  ladies  that  were  so  kind  to  me  when 
I  had  no  mother  to  care  for  me ;  I  knew  that  if  I  had 
any  thing  good  and  amiable  in  my  nature  they  had 
taught  it  to  me. 

Where  were  all  my  playmates  ?     How  we  would  have 


REMEMBRANCES.  159 

laughed  if  any  one  had  said  that  little  Du  Chaillu  would 
one  day  go  into  unknown  countries,  where  no  white  man 
had  been  before,  and  there  spend  the  best  days  of  his  life, 
and  be,  as  his  fathers  of  old  were,  a  chevalier  errant. 

I  remembered  my  two  tiny  little  black  ponies  which 
my  father  had  given  me,  and  how  kind  he  had  been  to 
me,  and  I  also  remembered  my  good  nurse  Eosee.  My 
heart  was  sore  and  heavy,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking 
of  the  happy  days  gone  by ;  for  I  was  but  three-and- 
twenty,  with  the  world  still  bright  before  me,  when  I  was 
thus  sick  and  lonely. 

The  stars  peered  through  the  dark  foliage  of  the 
forest  trees.  How  beautiful  and  bright  they  looked, 
reminding  me  of  the  heavens  whither  our  spirits  go !  I 
thought  of  my  mother,  and  where  she  might  be,  and 
wondered  if  she  could  see  me  as  I  lay  alone  in  that  dark 
forest  under  the  big  tree.  I  remember  how  I  said,  Oh, 
my  mother,  my  heart  is  sore  and  weary,  I  want  to  come 
to  thee ! 

Such  were  often  my  thoughts  when  lying  so  ill  under 
the  big  tree.  I  knew  not  if  I  should  see  the  morrow. 
So  I  prayed  God  to  care  for  me. 

One  day,  after  feeling  so  sad,  I  went  to  sleep ;  when  I 
awoke  my  Bakalai  men  had  returned  from  the  hunt  and 
were  watching  over  me,  and  I  felt  relieved.  God  had 
taken  care  of  me.  Days  went  by,  and  I  regained  slowly 
my  strength  ;  my  men  went  out  hunting  and  brought  me 
game,  the  women  of  the  country  went  out  fishing  and 
brought  me  fish,  the  people  brought  me  food.  None  of 
them  wanted  their  Ntangani  to  die.  They  were  all  kind 
to  me  in  that  far  country  where  they  might  have  killed 
and  plundered  me. 


160  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

I  shall  always  remember  Quengueza.  I  do  love  old 
Quengueza;  nor  shall  I  ever  forget  old  Anguilai,  the 
Bakalai  chief  who,  when  I  was  so  ill,  gave  the  only  goat 
he  had  for  me  to  eat,  to  make  me  strong,  he  said.  It  was 
the  goat  that  he  had  laid  by  for  a  wife. 

Good  Obindji  was  not  behindhand  in  kindness,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  friends  Querlaouen  and  Malaouen,  and 
I  often  hope  that  we  may  meet  again.  I  wish  they 
could  know  that  I  often  think  of  them,  and  that  I  have 
a  heart  full  of  gratitude  for  all  their  kindness  to  me. 

I  began  now  to  get  stronger  and  stronger,  and  was 
soon  able  to  go  about  with  my  gun.  How  glad  I  was  to 
be  again  able  to  shoot  gorillas,  and  make  collections  of 
curious  animals*  and  birds  to  bring  with  me  to  New  York 
and  show  them  to  my  friends  and  tell  them  how  hard  I 
had  worked  to  collect  them! 

I  shall  never  forget  that,  one  day  as  I  lay  ill  under 
that  big  tree,  I  spied  an  enormous  snake  folded  among 
the  branches  of  another  tree  not  far  off  from  me.  My' 
attention  had  been  drawn  to  that  tree  by  the  cries  of  a 
squirrel.  I  wished  some  of  my  men  had  been  with  me 
to  kill  it,  so  that  I  might  have  something  nice  to  eat, 
though  I  was  not  very  hungry  ;  but  there  was  no  man 
with  me,  only  three  women  who  were  taking  care  of  me. 
I  was  not  strong  enough  to  take  my  gun.  I  was  so  weak 
that  I  did  not  mind  having  the  snake  so  close  to  me. 

I  will  tell  you  what  that  squirrel  and  that  snake  were 
doing. 

The  snake  was  charming  the  poor  little  squirrel.  How 
nice  the  squirrel  was  !  how  beautiful  his  little  tail !  how 
black  and  bright  seemed  his  little  eyes !  His  little  feet 
were  moving  onward  toward  the  snake  ;  his  little  tail  was 


THE  SNAKE  AND  THE  SQ  ULREEL. 


\  0  1 


up,  and  he  chippered  as  he  advanced  toward  certain 
death. 

The  snake  was  still  as  death,  not  one  of  his  folds  could 
have  been  seen  moving.  How  black  and  shiny  the  ugly 
creature  was,  and  what  a  contrast  with  the  green  leaves 
of  the  trees  !  Part  of  his  body  was  coiled  on  a  limb  of 


CIIAISMINO   T1IK   SQUI11BEU 

the  tree.  How  fixedly  he  looked  at  the  squirrel !  His 
head  was  triangular,  and  he  belonged  to  that  family  of 
snakes  that  spend  the  greatest  portion  of  their  time  on 
trees.  This  was  of  a  very  venomous  kind.  I  wished  I 
had  been  strong  enough  to  take  my  gun  and  kill  the  ser- 
pent, and  so  save  the  life  of  the  little  squirrel. 


162  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  squirrel  came ;  louder  and  loud- 
er were  his  chipperings;  he  tried  to  run  away,  but  could 
not.  At  last  he  came  within  a  foot  of  the  snake.  There 
was  a  pause ;  then  suddenly,  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  the 
snake  sprung :  the  poor  little  squirrel  was  in  the  folds  of 
the  ugly  reptile,  and  soon  I  saw  his  body  gradually  disap- 
pearing into  its  inflated  mouth,  and  the  broken  silence  of 
the  forest  resumed  its  sway. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


WITCHCRAFT.  -  ACCUSATION    OF    PESTof  .  —  RESULT    OF    HIS 
TRIAL. 

WAR  is  looming  on  the  banks  of  the  Ovenga.  Witch- 
craft is  at  the  bottom  of  the  trouble.  The  Bakalais  have 
met  from  every  vale  and  from  every  hill,  and  chiefs  and 
elders  and  warriors  have  come  to  ask  for  the  head  of  Pen- 
de. I  am  alone  of  all  my  race  in  this  turmoil. 

Pende  was  a  younger  brother  of  King  Obindji,  and  was 
himself  the  chief  of  a  village.  Pende  was  disliked  by 
every  body.  The  fearful  accusation  which  the  Bakalais 
brought  against  him  was  this.  Pende  was  said  to  have 
stolen  the  bones  of  dead  persons  in  the  forest  and  to  have 
made  a  fetich  with  them,  which  fetich  was  to  keep  trade 
away  from  a  particular  village.  Pende  was  an  aniemba 
(a  wizard)  ;  for  who  ever  heard  of  men  who  went  and  stole 
human  bones  and  kept  them,  that  were  not  sorcerers? 
Pende's  ways  were  strange  and  mysterious.  People  could 
not  understand  them,  and  he  must  be  killed.  Obindji 
being  the  eldest  brother,  they  called  on  him  to  issue  an 
order  for  the  killing  of  Pende. 

Obindji  must  give  up  his  brother.  Quengueza  be- 
ing in  the  country,  the  discussion  took  place  before  him. 
I  and  Quengueza  stood  on  two  stools  in  the  midst  of  the 
two  opposite  camps.  One  camp  demanded  Pendd's  life, 


164  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

while  the  people  of  the  other  said  Pende  was  not  guilty 
of  what  he  had  been  accused.  Hence  these  latter  were 
unwilling  to  deliver  him  to  be  killed. 

With  the  exception  of  Quengueza,  every  man  there 
was  armed  to  the  teeth.  They  were  all  covered  with 
fetiches  and  war-charms;  they  were  painted  in  all  sorts 
of  fantastic  colors.  How  ugly  many  of  them  looked! 
how  devilish,  how  blood-thirsty  many  of  them  seemed  to 
be  !  O  God,  how  kind  thou  art!  Thou  makest  the  rain 
fall  on  the  evil,  and  on  the  good  ;  thou  makest  the  dew 
of  heaven  fall  on  the  poisonous  plant,  and  on  the  plant 
that  feedeth  man.  Still,  in  despite  of  the  blood-thirsti- 
ness of  these  people ;  in  despite  of  their  superstitions  and 
horrid  customs,  now  and  then  the  better  nature  of  man 
would  get  possession  of  them,  and  their  hearts  were  sus- 
ceptible of  better  feelings. 

So  a  man  of  the  name  of  Mashamamai  came  forward; 
he  was  thin  and  wiry,  tall  and  slender ;  his  features  were 
sharp,  his  eyes  sunken,  his  cheeks  somewhat  prominent, ' 
and  his  filed  teeth  showed  themselves  every  time  he  open- 
ed his  mouth  to  speak.  His  body  was  tattooed  all  over ; 
he  wore  round  the  waist  a  leopard's  belt,  which  he  himself 
had  entrapped  and  killed,  a  necklace  of  leopard's  and  go- 
rilla's teeth ;  on  his  side  hung  a  huge  war-knife.  His 
eyebrows  were  painted  yellow;  on  his  forehead  there 
was  a  broad  white  mark,  while  one  of  his  cheeks  was 
painted  red,  and  the  other  yellow.  He  certainly  had  suc- 
ceeded in  his  attempt  to  look  horrid. 

He  began  in  a  hollow,  sonorous  voice,  and  said — 

"  Bakali,  people  among  us  have  been  dying.  Where 
is  Aqualai  ?  he  is  gone.  Where  is  Anguilai  ?  he  is  gone. 
Where  are  Djali  and  Eatenon,  our  great  hunters?  they 


A  CCUSAT10N  OF  PEND&  167 

are  gone.  Where  is  Olenda  ?  Where  are  the  people  of 
our  once  large  clan  ?  They  have  all  gone,  to  come  no 
more  to  us.  How  is  this  ?  For  they  were  well  before 
death  got  hold  of  them,  and  they  could  not  have  died  un- 
less people  had  bewitched  them.  Where  are  our  wom- 
en who  once  danced  and  sang  for  us,  who  went  on  our 
plantations,  who  gave  us  food,  who  went  fishing  and  gave 
us  fish,  and  who  bore  children  to  us  ?  They,  too,  have 
gone.  The  forest  is  full  of  dead  men's  bones.  How 
could  this  be,  unless  we  have  sorcerers  among  us?" 

The  whole  crowd  of  the  two  camps  shouted  with  one  ac- 
cord, "How  could  men  die  unless  they  are  bewitched?" 
The  dread  of  death  was  on  the  face  of  all ;  their  eyes  be- 
came wild,  and  they  sought  revenge,  for  none  of  them 
wanted  to  die.  "  There  would  be  no  death  without  aniem- 
6a,"  they  all  shouted;  "without  aniemba  there  would  be 
no  sickness."  A  little  more,  and  the  frenzied  crowd  of 
the  two  camps  would  have  rushed  forward  and  cut  poor 
Pendd  to  pieces.  The  speaker  who  was  speaking  was 
considered  one  of  their  most  powerful  orators.  He  went 
on  to  say  that  he  had  had  a  dream — many  others  had  the 
same  dream — it  was  that  Pende"  had  gone  into  the  woods 
and  stolen  men's  bones.  Yes,  he  was  sure  of  it,  for  his 
dreams  could  not  lie.  They  all  shouted  on  the  accuser's 
side,  "  Our  dreams  can  not  lie !  They  must  be  true.  It 
must  be  so.  Pende'  has  gone  into  the  forest,  and  stolen 
men's  bone's  to  make  a  monda  fetich  to  kill  us,  and  to 
prevent  trade  from  coming  to  us."  Then  a  dead  silence 
followed.  Pendd  came  forward,  and  in  a  loud  voice  said, 
"  No,  I  have  never  done  such  a  thing — I  am  not  a  wizard. 
I  will  drink  the  rriboundou  if  I  am  accused  of  being  one." 
He  was  sure  he  was  not  one — he  would  not  die,  and  he 


168         WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

would  make  them  give  him  plenty  of  slaves  for  having 
insulted  him.  He  had  never  taken  in  his  hands  any  hu- 
man bones.  There  were  wizards,  but  he  was  not  one  of 
them.  He  wanted  them  to  live  long — he  wanted  them 
to  kill  plenty  of  elephants,  to  marry  plenty  of  wives,  to 
have  plenty  of  children,  and  a  great  number  of  slaves ; 
he  was  not  jealous  of  them.  Their  dreams  were  false. 
He  could  never  wish  such  evil  things  upon  them.  On 
the  contrary,  somebody  was  jealous  of  him,  and  wanted 
the  people  to  kill  him,  so  that  they  might  divide  his  wives 
and  slaves,  and  take  his  spear  and  his  gun. 

Pende's  speech  produced  a  good  effect,  especially  as 
he  was  backed  by  a  strong  force.  All  the  time  he  ad- 
dressed himself  to  King  Quengueza,  who  was  seated,  se- 
date and  stately,  and  at  whose  side  stood  his  (organa)  idol. 
I  was  listening  in  wonder,  astonished  at  this  strange  spec- 
tacle. Quengueza  got  up,  and  in  a  short  time  the  palaver 
was  over,  and,  in  order  to  have  peace,  Pende  had  to  give 
away  three  slaves  to  the  three  chief  accusers.  But  Pende 
was  suspected  of  being  a  wizard,  and  when  once  the  sus- 
picion of  being  such  an  awful  evil  being  takes  possession 
of  the  people,  it  never  wears  out  of  their  minds.  So,  a 
short  time  after,  poor  Pende  was  again  accused  of  witch- 
craft— of  having  bewitched  a  man  who  had  died.  Obindji 
himself  got  afraid  of  his  brother,  and  Pende  was  killed, 
and  his  body  was  thrown  in  the  river,  after  having  been 
cut  into  more  than  a  hundred  pieces. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

GOEILLA  HUNTING. — PREPARATIONS. — WE  KILL  A  MALE  GO- 
RILLA.— BRINGING   HIM   TO   CAMP. 

WE  are  merry.  Our  camp  has  been  built ;  we  are  in 
a  country  where  elephants,  gorillas,  leopards,  and  wild 
boars  are  abundant.  There  are  also  antelopes  and  ga- 
zelles, and  other  wild  animals. 

We  are  seated  round  the  fire  and  talking  of  to-mor- 
row, for  we  are  going  hunting. 

We  are  far  away  from  any  village  of  the  Ashankolo 
Mountains,  and  are  near  the  Ovenga  Eiver.  Our  little  ca- 
noe that  took  us  there  we  have  hidden  in  the  forest.  We 
are  not  very  far  from  the  land  called  Kanga  Niare. 

There  was  Malaouen,  the  Bakalai  hunter ;  there  was 
Querlaouen,  another  savage  who  knew  not  what  fear  was. 
There  was  Gambo,  the  son  of  an  Ashira  chief,  who  was  not 
behind  any  one  in  courage.  Elephants,  gorillas,  and  leop- 
ards had  been  killed  by  him,  and  he  was  the  nimblest  fellow 
I  ever  saw.  To  each  I  had  given  a  present  of  a  nice 
gun,  to  each'  I  had  given  also  a  keg  of  powder  and  sev- 
eral flints.  We  were  all  very  good  friends,  every  body 
said  so  in  the  country.  They  were,  they  said,  the  good 
friends  of  the  spirit 

Before  we  had  started  their  wives  had  loaded  our  ca- 
noe with  provisions.  They  had  put  sugar-cane  in  it  for 
me,  saying  I  must  eat  it  on  my  return  from  the  chase 
H 


170  WILD  LIFE  UNDEB  THE  EQUATOR. 

when  I  should  feel  tired.  We  had  two  little  Bakalai 
boys  to  take  care  of  our  camp,  to  fetch  fire- wood,  and  to 
cook  our  food.  The  only  fear  we  had  was  that  the  Bak- 
alai of  the  interior  might  come  upon  us  on  the  sly  and 
shoot  some  of  us,  but  then  we  were  far  away  from  them. 
We  all  swore  that  if  any  one  of  us  was  killed  we  would 
avenge  him. 

The  night  came,  the  fires  were  kept  bright,  our  meal 
of  plantain  was  cooked,  and  I  roasted  on  charcoal  a  piece 
of  wild  boar  which  friend  Querlaouen  had  given  me.  Our 
guns  were  as  clean  and  bright  as  buttons,  the  powder  was 
safe,  the  bullets  were  right,  and  we  were  to  have  a  jolly 
time.  I  went  to  sleep,  and  dreamed  of  whole  herds  of 
elephants  being  slaughtered,  of  gigantic  gorillas  being 
killed,  of  new  animals  being  discovered.  ' 

Before  daylight  we  were  awake;  my  men  cut  their 
hands  and  made  them  bleed,  in  order,  they  said,  to  steady 
them.  They  also  covered  themselves  with  fetiches,  to  be 
protected  from  the  evil  spirits  and  to  have  luck  in  the 
chase. 

I  blackened  my  face  and  hands  with  charcoal  mixed 
with  oil,  so  that  I  might  look  like  them.  We  looked  at 
our  guns,  unloaded  them,  and  then  reloaded,  and  saw  ev- 
ery thing  was  right.  It  was  daylight  when  we  started, 
and  for  the  first  day  it  was  agreed  that  we  should  go  go- 
rilla hunting. 

We  had  come  to  a  country  where  we  knew  that  go- 
rillas were  sure  to  be  found,  for  there  grew  a  pulpy  pear- 
shaped  fruit  the  tonda,  of  which  the  animal  is  very  fond. 
It  grows  almost  upon  a  level  with  the  ground,  and  is  of  a 
splendid  red  color.  Not  only  were  gorillas  fond  of  the 
tonda,  but  I  myself  liked  it  very  much,  as  did  also  the  ne- 


ON  THE  TRAIL.  171 

groes.  I  am  very  fond  of  the  subdued  and  grateful  acid 
of  this  fruit.  The  kind  that  grows  on  the  sandy  prairies 
of  the  sea-shore  is  not  fit  to  eat.  Many  and  many  times 
I  would  have  starved  in  the  forest  without  the  tonda. 

We  were  not  mistaken,  for  we  found  everywhere  go- 
rilla marks,  and  now  and  then  we  could  see  the  huge 
foot-prints  of  some  old  monster,  which  probably  would 
have  come  and  offered  us  battle  if  he  had  been  near  at 
hand;  at  other  places  we  saw  where  they  had  seated 
themselves  and  been  eating  the  tonda.  At  another  place 
near  a  little  stream  we  discovered  that  a  female  gorilla 
and  her  baby  had  been  drinking,  for  I  could  see  the  tiny 
feet  of  the  little  one. 

"  There  must  be  gorillas  not  far  off,"  whispered  Ma- 
laouen into  my  ears,  and  at  the  same  time  he  looked  care- 
fully at  his  gun.  Querlaouen  and  Gambo  gave  a  chuckle, 
and  looked  at  Malaouen  and  at  me.  We  all  listened  in 
silence  ;  we  were  then  in  one  of  the  thickest  and  densest 
parts  of  the  forest ;  all  was  apparently  still,  but  the  quick 
ear  of  Malaouen  had  detected  something,  had  heard  a 
noise,  and  he  wanted  to  know  the  cause  of  it. 

We  were  so  excited  that  our  breathing  was  loud  and 
distinctly  audible.  We  were  all  close  together  and  did 
not  move.  We  at  once  cocked  our  guns,  for  we  heard 
the  moving  of  branches  just  ahead  of  us,  when  lo !  the 
forest  resounded  with  the  terrific  roar  of  the  gorilla  which 
made  the  very  earth  fairly  shake  under  our  feet.  As 
soon  as  the  gorilla  saw  us  he  stood  up,  and  beat  his  chest 
with  his  powerful  hands  until  it  resounded  like  an  im- 
mense bass  drum.  His  intensely  black  face  was  some- 
thing horrid  to  behold  ;  his  sunken  deep  gray  eyes  look- 
ed like  the  eyes  of  a  demon,  and  he  opened  his  mouth 


172  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

and  gave  vent  to  roar  after  roar,  showing  his  powerful 
canine  teeth.  How  big  they  were !  they  were  frightful 
to  look  upon ;  the  inside  of  his  mouth  was  so  red. 

It  was  a  male  gorilla,  a  real  fighting  fellow,  and  was 
not  afraid  of  us.  How  horrid  he  looked  as  the  hair  on 
the  top  of  his  head  twitched  up  and  down,  and  as  he 
made  the  woods  ring  with  his  awful  roar  until  the  forest 
was  full  of  the  din ! 

We  stood  in  silence,  gun  in  hand,  and  I  was  ready  to 
fire,  when  Malaouen,  who  is  a  cool  fellow,  said,  "  Not  yet." 
The  monster,  according  to  them,  was  not  near  enough. 
He  stopped  for  a  minute  or  so,  and  then  seated  himself, 
for  his  legs  did  not  seem  well  adapted  to  support  his 
huge  body.  The  gorilla  looked  at  us  with  his  evil  gray 
eyes,  then  beat  his  breast  with  his  long,  powerful,  and 
gigantic  arms,  giving  another  howl  of  defiance.  How 
awful  was  that  howl !  He  then  advanced  upon  us. 
Now  he  stopped,  and,  though  not  far  off,  they  all  said, 
"  Not  yet."  I  must  own  to  having  been  somewhat  ac- 
customed to  see  gorillas.  I  was  terribly  excited,  for  I  al- 
ways felt  that,  if  the  animal  was  not  killed,  some  one  of 
us  would  be  killed. 

I  now  judged  he  was  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve 
yards  from  us,  and  I  could  see  plainly  the  ferocious  and 
fiendish  face  of  the  monstrous  ape.  It  was  working  with 
rage;  his.  huge  teeth  were  ground  against  each  other,  so 
that  we  could  hear  the  sound  ;  the  skin  of  the  forehead 
was  moved  rapidly  back  and  forth,  bringing  a  truly  dev- 
ilish expression  upon  the  hideous  face ;  then  once  more 
he  opened  his  mouth  and  gave  a  roar  which  seemed  to 
shake  the  woods  like  thunder,  and,  looking  us  in  the 
eyes  and  beating  his  breast,  advanced  again.  This  time 


A  MALE  GORILLA  KILLED. 


173 


he  was  within  eight  yards  from  us  before  he  stopped 
again.  My  breath  was  growing  short  with  excitement 
as  I  watched  the  huge  beast.  Malaouen  said  "  Steady," 
as  he  came  up.  When  he  stopped,  Malaouen  said  "Now ;" 
and  before  he  could  utter  the  roar  for  which  he  was 
opening  his  mouth,  three  musket  balls  were  in  his  body, 
and  he  fell  dead  almost  without  a  struggle.  Gambo  had 


DEATH  OP   A  MALE   GOBILLA. 


not  fired;  he  had  kept  his  gun  in  reserve  in  case  of 
accident.  "  Do  not  fire  too  soon.  If  you  do  not  kill 
him  he  will  kill  you,"  said  friend  Malaouen  to  me — a 
piece  of  advice  which  I  found  afterward  to  be  literally  true. 
It  was  a  huge  beast,  and  a  very  old  one  indeed.  Gorillas 
vary  in  height  like  men.  This  one  was  over  5  feet  6 


174  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  TEE  EQUATOR. 

inches.  Its  arras  spread  out  7  feet  and  2  inches.  Its 
bare,  huge,  brawny  chest  measured  50  inches  round  ;  and 
the  big  toe  or  thumb  of  its  foot  measured  nearly  6  inches 
in  circumference.  Its  arm  seemed  only  like  an  immense 
bunch  of  muscle,  and  its  legs  and  claw-like  feet  were  so 
well  fitted  for  grabbing  and  holding  on  that  I  did  not 
wonder  that  the  negroes  believed  that  this  animal  conceal- 
ed itself  in  trees,  and  pulled  up  with  his  foot  any  living 
thing,  leopard,  ox,  or  man,  that  passed  beneath.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  gorilla  could  do  this,  but  that  he 
does,  I  do  not  believe.  They  are  ferocious  and  mis- 
chievous, but  not  carnivorous. 

Though  you  see  by  the  description  I  have  given  you 
that  the  animal  is  large,  I  have  killed  others  much  larger, 
about  one  of  which  I  will  speak  to  you. 

The  face  of  this  gorilla  was  entirely  black.  The  vast 
chest,  which  proved  his  great  power,  was  bare,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  parchment-like  skin.  Its  body  was  covered 
with  gray  hair,  the  hair  being  longer  on  the  arms. 

Though  there  is  much  dissimilarity  between  this  ani- 
mal and  man,  I  never  kill  one  without  having  a  sickening 
realization  of  the  horrid  human  likeness  of  the  beast. 
This  was  particularly  the  case  to-day  when  the  animal 
approached  us  in  its  fierce  way,  and  walking  on  its  hind- 
legs  and  looking  us  boldly  in  the  face,  seemed  to  me  like 
an  incarnate  fiend. 

I  stuffed  and  preserved  its  skin  and  skeleton,  and  a 
few  years  ago  many  of  you  saw  them  in  New  York  or 
Boston. 

I  was  delighted  that  we  had  killed  a  gorilla.  We  had 
the  greatest  trouble  in  bringing  the  beast  to  the  camp. 
We  had  to  disembowel  him  on  account  of  his  weight,  in 


BRINGING  HIM  TO  CAMP.  175 

order  to  carry  him.  We  cut  a  long  pole,  and  then  tied  its 
body  on  it.  Then  at  one  end  there  was  Querlaouen,  and 
at  the  other  Gambo  and  Malaouen,  while  I  took  the  lead, 
and  so  we  returned  by  the  way  we  had  come.  That 
gorilla  must  have  weighed  between  three  and  four  hun- 
dred pounds. 

You  might  ask  how  we  could  find  our  way  back  in 
this  immense  forest,  where  the  trees  are  so  thick  and 
close  together.  I  will  tell  you. 

As  w£  advanced,  we  bent  down  or  broke  the  boughs 
of  trees  which  we  passed.  If  afraid  of  making  a  noise, 
we  quietly  took  the  leaves,  and  as  we  went  on  we  spread 
them  on  the  ground,  but  above  all  we  noticed  every  thing, 
especially  the  trees,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  quick  one 
acquires  this  habit  of  observation.  Yet,  despite  all  this, 
now  and  then  people  get  lost,  but  it  is  generally  because 
they  have  not  been  careful  enough,  and  have  not  followed 
the  rules  of  which  I  have  told  you. 

On  the  hunting  grounds  the  Bakalai  seemed  to  know 
every  inch  of  ground,  every  tree  and  shrub. 

At  last  we  reached  the  camp.  How  glad  we  were ! 
It  was  almost  dark,  and  we  were  very  tired ;  the  two  boys 
welcomed  us  and  cooked  our  evening  meal.  Tremen- 
dous fires  were  lighted,  and  my  three  fellows  laid  flat  on 
the  ground,  the  soles  of  their  feet  almost  touching  the 
fire.  It  is  wonderful  how  by  doing  this  they  rest  them, 
and  cure  the  soreness  which  a  long  march  occasions. 

I  do  not  know  how,  but  we  all  fell  asleep  without 
knowing  it,  leaving  the  boys  to  keep  watch ;  and  when 
I  awoke  during  the  night  Gambo  was'snoring  in  a  most 
fearful  manner,  Malaouen  had  almost  his  back  in  the  fire 
and  did  not  feel  it,  while  the  position  of  Querlaouen  was 


176  WILD  LIFE  UNDEK  THE  EQUATOR. 

something  laughable,  his  arms  being  extended  their  fall 
length ;  for  he  lay  on  his  back,  while  his  big  fetich  was 
resting  on  the  middle  of  his  chest ;  his  gun  lay  by  his 
side,  and  one  of  his  knees  was  up,  while  the  other  limb 
was  stretched  out  to  its  full  length.  All  three  carried  on 
a  little  snoring  musical  concert,  but  that  evening  Gambo 
certainly  carried  off  the  palm  for  noise.  I  did  not  want 
to  awake  the  good  fellows,  for  they  had  worked  hard,  and 
we  intended  to  have  another  tremendous  hunt,  for  we 
designed  to  kill  a  leopard  if  possible.  I  told  the  boys  to 
go  to  sleep,  and  I  myself  kept  watch.  It  was  soon  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  singing  of  the  gray  par- 
tridge, a  new  species  which  I  discovered,  soon  warned 
me  that  another  day  was  about  to  begin. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

IN     THE    BUFFALO    COUNTRY. — THE    PARADISE     OF    FLIES. — 
THE  VARIOUS    SPECIES. 

Now,  though  we  have  not  left  our  hunting  grounds 
of  the  preceding  chapter,  we  have  moved  toward  the 
Ovenga  River,  and  have  built  our  camp  not  far  from  its 
shore.  We  are  now  really  in  the  heart  of  Kanga-Niare", 
the  name  which  Quengueza  people  give  to  the  land. 
Niard  means  buffalo,  but  I  have  forgotten  the  meaning 
of  Kanga. 

We  have  changed  our  camp,  for  Malaouen  was  fearful 
that  some  of  our  guns  might  have  been  heard  by  the 
warlike  Bakalais  of  the  Ashankolo ;  and  as  their  clans 
had  had  some  trouble  with  them,  he  was  afraid  that  they 
might  come  in  ambush  and  shoot  some  of  us.  This,  of 
course,  was  not  a  very  pleasant  prospect.  These  Baka- 
lai  are  so  treacherous  that  they  are  capable  of  any  thing; 
they  kill  without  warning  any  one  that  comes  in  their 
way,  whatever  they  may  be,  even  women,  children  or 
old  men. 

As  we  worked  hard  all  day  we  could  not  keep  watch 
all  night,  so  we  had  concluded  to  move. 

Our  little  camp  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  edge  of 

the  forest  in  front  of  a  beautiful  little  prairie.     There 

are  several  of  these,  and  rambling  about  I  saw  that  traces 

of  wild  buffaloes  were  abundant.     I  had  not  tasted  buf- 

H2 


178  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

falo  for  a  long  time,  and  I  thought  it  would  be  a  nice 
thing  if  I  could  kill  one. 

Querlaouen,  Grambo,  and  Malaouen  had  been  feasting 
on  gorilla  meat,  though  I  had  not.  Not  only  had  they 
feasted  on  it,  but  they  had  smoked  a  good  deal  of  it  to 
take  back  with  them. 

The  first  day  we  kept  quiet.  The  soil  was  sandy, 
the  grass  was  very  luxuriant,  growing  at  least  two  feet 
high.  The  sun  is  very  oppressive  in  these  clear  spots  or 
little  prairies.  "We  were  tormented  terribly  by  flies; 
the  country  of  the  Ovenga  seems  to  be  the  paradise  of 
flies.  During  the  day  they  often  wear  a  man's  life  out. 
They  sting  you,  they  suck  your  blood,  and  they  plague 
you  beyond  expression. 

As  for  musquitoes,  they  were  swarming  at  this  time 
of  the  year,  and  I  would  defy  any  one  to  sleep  at  night 
without  musquito-nets,  unless  his  skin  were  bullet  proof, 
or  as  hard  as  the  skin  of  an  elephant  or  hippopotamus ; 
and  as  mine  was  not,  I  always  carried  with  me  a  net 
made  of  the  grass  cloth  of  the  interior. 

Three  of  these  day-flies  might  have  almost  been  call- 
ed the  three  plagues ;  in  fact,  in  these  parts  there  was  al- 
ways some  kind  of  insect  to  annoy  one. 

Early  in  the  morning,  just  at  sunrise,  the  igooguai 
makes  its  appearance  and  only  disappears  when  the  sun 
becomes  too  warm,  as  it  does  toward  nine  or  ten  o'clock. 
The  igooguai  is  a  small,  almost  imperceptible  gnat,  which 
appears  in  incredible  numbers  in  the  morning  in  certain 
regions.  From  ten  o'clock  it  is  seen  no  more  till  four, 
when  its  operations  are  recommenced,  and  last  till  sunset. 

It  is  a  very,  very  small  fly,  which  can  hardly  be 
noticed ;  it  might  be  called  a  sand-fly,  and  a  dreadful 


THE  IOOOOUAI  GNAT.  1 79 

little  creature  it  is.  In  some  regions  it  is  found  in  such 
great  numbers  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  secure  quiet 
in  the  morning,  hence  the  people  have  to  surround  them- 
selves with^moke  to  drive  them  away ;  and  one  must  re- 
main in  his  hut,  which  must  be  filled  entirely  with 
smoke,  in  order  to  be  free  from  them.  If  I  stood  still 
outside  for  a  while,  my  face  and  hands  were  covered 
with  them.  After  they  have  fed  themselves  their  bodies 
become  almost  of  a  blood  color.  You  have  hardly  kill- 
ed one  hundred  on  your  hand  or  face,  when  a  few  min- 
utes after  the  same  number  is  found.  Of  course  you  can 
not  kill  them  one  by  one,  so  the  only  way  is  to  pass 
your  hand  right  over  them  all  on  your  face.  My  un- 
protected skin  was  covered  then  with  little  red  spots  as 
if  I  had  the  measles. 

I  really  can  not  tell  you  how  these  igooguai  troub- 
led me;  sometimes  they  almost  made  me  crazy.  They 
are  most  determined  blood-suckers,  leaving  a  bite  which 
itches  terribly  and  for  a  considerable  time.  They  are 
only  found  in  open  places  generally. 

The  heat  of  the  sun  had  hardly  driven  the  igooguai 
out  of  the  field  and  obliged  them  to  take  shelter  in  the 
forest  or  somewhere  else  (for  during  the  heat  of  the  day 
they  do  not  trouble  any  one),  than  the  flies — which  we 
might  call  the  three  plagues — the  iboco,  the  nchouna,  and 
the  ibolaij  began  to  make  their  appearance.  These  are 
quiet  in  the  morning,  and  remain  so  until  the  sun  has 
warmed  the  atmosphere,  then  they  begin  to  buzz  around 
the  people;  hence,  as  you  see,  there  was  no  peace  for 
poor  me.  I  had  hardly  got  rid  of  one  kind  of  the  igoo- 
guai when  I  got  into  the  hands  of  these  three  other  suck- 
ers by  way  of  a  change. 


180  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR 

In  certain  regions,  from  eleven  o'clock  till  three,  I  cer- 
tainly thought  I  should  lose  my  senses,  especially  when 
living  on  the  banks  of  rivers.-  The  most  dreaded  of  all, 
and  the  most  savage  of  these  three  species  o£  flies,  is  the 
iboco.  I  shall  never  forget  the  iboco  as  long  as  I  live. 
I  have  been  stung  too  many  times  by  them  to  forget  it. 
A  hot  day,  and  under  a  powerful  sun,  these  insects  attack- 
ed us  with  a  terrible  persistency  that  left  us  no  peace. 

The  iboco  is  a  large  fly  of  the  size  of  a  hornet,  with 
yellow  body  and  a  large  green  head ;  it  flies  with  a  won- 
derful rapidity ;  and  when  it  wants  to  rest  on  somebody 
it  whirls  round  and  round  so  rapidly  that  the  eyes  become 
quite  bewildered,  and  in  the  wink  of  an  eye  they  rest  on 
the  bare  back  of  some  poor  negro,  and  give  a  sting  which 
draws  often  from  him  a  cry  of  anguish.  There  is  always 
great  rejoicing  when  an  iboco  is  killed.  They  are  very 
plentiful  in  the  regions  of  the  Ovenga  River ;  indeed,  I 
have  never  seen  them  in  such  great  numbers  anywhere 
else.  They  like  to  be  by  the  water  and  in  open  places. 
I  have  never  seen  them  except  in  the  clearings. 

Many  and  many  times  have  I  started  as  if  stung  by 
a  scorpion  or  centipede,  when  it  was  nothing  but  an  ibo- 
co, whose  bill  had  gone  through  two  or  three  of  my  gar- 
ments. Their  bite  is  quite  as  painful  as  that  of  a  scor- 
pion, but  happily  it  is  not  venomous,  and  the  pain  does  not 
last  long ;  but  its  sharpness  makes  up  for  the  shortness  of 
its  duration.  Often  the  blood  has  run  down  my  face  or 
arm,  from  their  savage  attacks,  and  even  the  well-tanned 
skin  of  the  negroes  is  punctured  till  it  bleeds,  so  that  one 
would  almost  think  that  a  leech  had  been  at  work  on 
them. 

The  nchouna  has  quite  another  sort  of  tactics.     It  is 


THE  NCHOUNA.  181 

not  so  large  as  the  iboco,  is  far  more  sly,  and  is  also 
found  in  greater  numbers.  If  the  iboco  were  as  numer- 
ous as  the  nchouna,  the  people  would  surely  not  be  able 
to  live  in  the  regions  of  the  Ovenga.  The  nchouna  is 
somewhat  of  the  shape  of  our  common  flies,  but  of  at 
least  twice  the  size ;  it  is  of  a  yellowish  color,  and  per- 
haps more  elongated,  resembling  very  much  the  tsetche  of 
Southern  Africa,  of  which  species  it  may  be  a  variety. 

As  one  is  seated,  he  sees  several  nchounas  flying  in  a 
quiet  way  round  about  him.  They  are  very  sly,  and  the 
least  movement  one  makes  sends  them  off.  As  they  fly 
around  one  they  do  not  appear  as  if  intent  upon  an  at- 
tack, but  before  you  know  it  the  fly  has  come,  and  in  such 
a  gentle  way  that  you  do  not  notice  it  at  all,  for  they  in- 
sert their  bill  very  gently  into  your  body.  They  will 
stay  until  they  have  sucked  your  blood  and  filled  them- 
selves with  it,  and  generally  I  never  knew  of  their  attack 
till  I  felt  the  itch  which  follows  the  bite  when  the  fly  has 
gone.  Then  this  is  followed  by  a  little  painful  swelling. 
The  itching  begins,  and  lasts  often  for  several  hours,  espe- 
cially if  the  fly  has  been  disturbed  before  its  full  allow- 
ance has  been  taken.  In  the  height  of  the  rainy  season 
in  the  country  of  the  Ovenga  no  day  passed  without  my 
being  bitten  several  times  by  the  nchouna. 

The  negroes  usually  have  a  little  broom,  made  of  the 
stem  of  the  leaves  of  certain  trees,  to  keep  off  this  insect; 
often  the  tail  of  an  elephant  is  used  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  third  species,  I  remember  well,  is  called  ibolai.  It 
is  an  insect  twice  as  large  as  our  common  house-fly.  The 
wings  cross'feach  other.  This  fly  is  black,  more  elongated 
than  the  nchouna,  and  quicker  on  the  wing ;  its  sting  is 
long,  and  strong  enough  to  pierce  the  thickest  clothes  one 


182  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

can  wear  in  the  heat  of  an  African  summer.  The  sting 
is  so  terribly  sharp  that  I  have  often  jumped  up  with  the 
sudden  pain,  which  was  as  if  a  pin  had  been  stuck  sav- 
agely into  my  person ;  but  the  bite  of  this  insect,  if  pain- 
ful, does  not  last  like  that  of  the  nchouna.  You  need  not 
think  for  a  moment  that  the  day  is  over  with  the  flies, 
and  that  one  is  going  to  rest.  Toward  four  o'clock,  when 
the  sun  begins  4o  go  down  and  lays  hidden  back  of  the 
hills,  the  iboco,  nchouna,  and  ibolai  disappear.  The  igoo- 
guai,  as  I  have  said  before,  makes  again  its  appearance 
to  plague  and  annoy ;  toward  sunset  they  retire  for  parts 
unknown  to  me,  and  several  varieties  of  musquitoes  make 
their  appearance  to  remind  man  that  he  is  made  of  flesh 
and  blood.  In  some  parts  of  the  country  they  are  very 
plentiful,  and  absolutely  terrible,  but  I  am  happy  to  say 
that  on  the  banks  of  the  Ovenga,  where  the  flies  I  have 
described  to  you  are  very  abundant,  the  musquitoes  are 
not  so  very  numerous.  The  rainy  season  is  the  time 
when  all  those  flies  are  most  abundant;  the  dry  season  is 
almost  free  from  them,  and  in  many  places  they  then  be- 
come almost  unknown. 

Such  is,  I  assure  you,  a  faithful  picture  of  the  flies  of 
that  region.  The  best  way  to  get  rid  of  them  is  to  keep 
in  motion.  If  you  stand  still  they  are  sure  to  come  upon 
you. 

You  will  ask  yourselves,  How  can  people  live  in  such 
a  country  ?  It  is  wonderful  how  one  gets  accustomed  to 
snakes,  ants,  flies,  musquitoes,  scorpions^  and  centipedes. 
To  be  sure,  they  are  not  pleasant  companions. 


CHAPTER  XXIV.     % 

ELEPHANT    PITS. — A   CAPTIVE. DIVIDING    THE    MEAT. — THE 

ALETHE   CASTANEA. 

QUERLAOUEN",  Malaouen,  and  their  wives  and  children, 
and  all  their  families,  which  amounted  to  about  forty  peo- 
ple, had  worked  hard  at  digging  elephant  pits,  of  the  same 
shape  as  those  I  have  described  to  you  in  "Stories  of 
the  Gorilla  Country,"  and  which  I  saw  in  the  cannibal 
country.  The  pits  had  been  covered  with  branches  of 
trees,  while  others  were  not  for  elephants  to  fall  into.  Oft- 
en when  they  roam  at  night,  before  they  know  it,  down 
they  are.  A  great  work  it  .must  have  been  to  dig  them ; 
they  were  about  fifteen  feet  deep,  perfectly  perpendicular, 
and  about  eight  or  ten  feet  in  length  and  six  feet  broad. 

Hanous  had  also  been  fixed,  such  as  I  have  described 
to  you  while  among  the  cannibals,  in  a  preceding  volume. 
These  were  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  long ;  and  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  a  foot  apart  there  were  huge  sharp-pointed 
iron  spikes  about  six  or  eight  inches  in  length.  Each  of 
these  hanous  must  have  weighed  several  hundred  pounds : 
and  as  they  fell  from  a  great  height,  the  weight  falling  on 
an  elephant's  spine  must  be  very  great,  and  more  than 
sufficient  to  break  it. 

So,  passing  through  these  tangled  forests,  we  had  to  be 
very  careful,  in  order  not  to  fall  into  pits  or  to  have  a 


184  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

hanous  fall  upon  our  heads ;  for  in  that  case  you  would 
never  have  heard  from  me  again.  Malaouen  knew  exact- 
ly where  these  pits  were. 

We  were  going  through  the  forest  with  the  greatest 
care,  thinking  that  we  might  meet  gorillas,  among  which 
might  be  one  of  those  lone  fierce  males. 

Suddenly  we  heard  a  noise  in  the  distance.  We  list- 
ened. What  could  it  be  ?  Malaouen's  quick  ear  soon 
detected  that  an  elephant  had  been  caught  either  by  a 
hanou,  or  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  pit.  We  listened, 
to  make  sure  of  the  direction  the  noise  came  from.  We 
looked  most  carefully  at  our  guns,  to  make  sure  that  we 
could  fully  depend  upon  them,  and  then  set  out  for  the 
place  where  we  suspected  the  huge  beast  was  lying  pros- 
trate. 

As  we  approached  the  spot,  the  moans  of  the  elephant 
became  louder  and  louder,  and  we  at  last  fell  into  its  track, 
which  we  followed,  our  direction  being  thus  clearly  indi- 
cated. At  length  we  came  to  the  pit.  How  careful  we 
were  in  approaching  it,  and  what  a  sight  met  our  eyes ! 
I  came  trembling  on  its  brink,  for  fear  that  the  earth 
would  give  way  and  precipitate  me  into  the  pit  where 
the  poor  elephant  was.  What  a  sight  met  my  eyes  as  I 
looked  down !  The  bottom  of  the  pit  was  filled  with  a 
black  mass,  which  I  recognized  to  be  an  elephant ;  the 
earth  around  was  saturated  with  its  blood.  The  poor 
creature  was  not  dead.  In  its  fall  its  ponderous  weight 
had  broken  its  four  legs,  and  one  of  its  magnificent  tusks 
had  been  dashed  to  pieces ;  its  head  was  all  bleeding,  and 
its  trunk  now  and  then  moved  up  and  down.  The  ago- 
nies of  the  poor  creature  were  great.  I  was  glad  that  we 
had  come  to  end  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  beast. 


THE  GOOD  NEWS.  185 

So  we  raised  our  guns  and  fired  right  into  its  ear. 
Malaouen's  gun  gave  a  fearful  recoil  that  almost  knocked 
him  down.  I  thought  it  had  burst.  All  became  silent. 
The  elephant's  ears  and  trunk  dropped  down,  there  was 
no  more  moaning ;  death  had  done  its  work. 

Like  almost  all  the  people  of  his  tribe,  he  carried  an 
axe  with  him ;  a  creeper  was  cut  down,  and  tied  to  a  tree 
near  by  to  serve  as  a  ladder,  and  Malaouen  dropped  down 
into  the  pit.  He  had  thrown  his  axe  first  and  then  descend- 
ed ;*  and  as  he  stood  on  the  elephant,  how  small  he  looked 
by  the  size  of  the  huge  beast !  Then  he  cut  the  end  of  his 
tail,  which  is  made  of  very  coarse  and  very  dark  bristly 
hair  ending  in  a  tuft,  and  came  up  again.  Joy  filled  his 
heart  as  we  set  out  for  the  camp,  and  next  for  the  village. 

As  soon  as  the  news  spread,  we  were  received,  with 
wild  demonstrations  of  joy.  They  were  going  to  have  a 
nice  time.  They  were  going  to  have  plenty  of  elephant 
meat  to  eat.  The  children  were  also  glad.  I  can  assure 
you  that  a  big  elephant  forms  a  large  mass  of  flesh,  and 
would  help  to  pretty  well  fill  a  butcher  shop.  Then  the 
news  came  that  in  a  neighboring  village,  not  far  from 
ours,  three  elephants  had  been  killed.  I  was  quite  aston- 
ished, for  the  animals  are  not  plentiful  in  the  region  I  was 
in ;  but  I  was  obliged  to  believe  the  report  when  I  saw 
the  three  new  freshly-cut  tails  of  the  elephants.  One  was 
given  to  me  afterward,  and  a  splendid  thing  it  was  to  kill 
the  nchouna,  the  ibolai,  and  the  iboco  flies. 

I  just  came  into  the  town  when  the  ceremonial  dance 
was  about  to  be  performed  which  precedes  the  division 
of  the  elephant  meat.  This  is  a  thank-offering  to  two 
spirits,  Hondo  and  Olombo,  who  seem  to  have  a  presiding 
influence  over  the  hunt. 


136 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 


A  doctor  from  a  country  called  Ashira,  of  which  I 
will  speak- to  you  hereafter,  was  leading  the  ceremonies. 
I  find  it  here  as  we  find  it  often  at  home,  that  the  proph- 
et gains  in  repute  the  further  he  travels  from  home.  In 
Goumbi,  Quengueza's  village,  a  Bakalai  doctor  was  held 
in  high  repute.  In  Biagano,  a  Goumbi  doctor  was  chief  of 
all  the  prophets.  Here  among  the  Bakalai,  only  an  Ashira 
doctor  was  thought  worthy  of  performing  the  ceremonies. 

The  Ashira  doctor  of  course  was  covered  with  all 
sorts  of  fetiches.  He  had  painted  his  body  in  order  to 
impress  his  audience  with  his  great  power,  and  every 
thing  he  did  was  done  in  a  mysterious  manner. 

They  had  three  pieces,  cut  from  the  hind-quarters  of 
the  elephants,  boiling  in  large  pots.  Around  these  they 
danced,  while  the  Ashira  doctor  chanted  praises  and  pe- 
titions to  Mondo  and  Olombo. 


DANCING  ABOUND   TUB  ELEPHANT  MEAT. 


A  piece  was  cut  off  and  sent  into  the  woods  to  ap- 
pease the  hunger  of  these  deities  (or,  more  likely,  of  their 


THE  ALETHE  VASTANEA.  187 

representatives,  the  leopards,  or  the  bashikouay  or  hye- 
nas), and  then  the  rest  was  eaten  by  the  people,  all  in 
the  presence  of  the  doctor. 

Next  came  the  division  of  the  great  heaps  of  uncook- 
ed meat.  The  town,  the  town's  friends,  the  hunters, 
the  hunters'  friends  and  their  friends,  all  came  and  got 
shares.  I  received  about  fifty  pounds  for  myself,  then 
besides  I  had  a  piece  of  the  trunk,  and  four  of  the  feet 
were  given  to  me.  These,  by  the  way,  must  have  weigh- 
ed more  than  fifty  pounds  by  themselves. 

As  soon  as  I  went  back  to  my  place  I  got  an  orala 
and  smoked  my  meat,  which  I  intended  to  keep,  as  we 
say,  for  a  rainy  day,  that  is,  for  a  day  when  I  would  have 
nothing  to  eat. 

I  do  not  know  why,  but  for  a  few  days  after  the  kill- 
ing of  the  elephants  the  country  was  full  of  bashikou- 
ays. I  could  scarcely  move  anywhere  without  falling 
in  with  these  fellows,  and  their  bites  were,  as  usual,  very 
severe.  They  had  no  doubt  smelled  the  elephant  flesh 
and  claimed  their  shares.  I  noticed  that  there  was,  a 
curious  little  bird  with  these  bashikouays,  the  Alethe 
castanea.  This  is  a  beautiful  bird,  which  follows  or  pre- 
cedes these  bashikouays,  and  feeds  on  the  insects  that  fly 
away  from  the  ants ;  it  is  a  new  species.  They  fly  in 
small  flocks,  and  follow  industriously  the  bashikouay  ants 
in  their  marches  about  the  country.  The  birds  eat  in- 
sects ;  and  when  the  bashikouay  army  routs  before  it  the 
frightened  grasshoppers  and  beetles,  this  bird,  like  a  reg- 
ular camp-follower,  pounces  on  the  prey  and  carries  it  off. 

The  natives  have  some  superstitions  about  this  bird, 
and  it  is  said  by  them  to  have  a  devil  in  it.  For  what 
reason  they  say  so  I  could  not  find  out 


188  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  UQUATOH. 

My  old  enemies  the  snakes  were  also  quite  abundant, 
and  as  we  pushed  through  the  woods  we  often  saw  sev- 
eral great  anacondas  hanging  from  a  projecting  bough, 
waiting  their  prey.  I  shot  a  little  bird,  a  very  curious 
one,  which,  in  its  fall,  lodged  among  some  vines.  I  was 
anxious  to  get  it,  and  began  to  climb  up  after  it.  Just 
as  I  was  reaching  out  for  my  bird,  a  snake,  belonging  to 
one  of  the  most  venomous  kinds  found  in  these  woods, 
stuck  out  his  head  at  me  from  the  thick  vine  foliage.  I 
was  very  much  startled,  and  dropped  down  to  the 
ground  without  any  loss  of  time.  I  could  almost  feel 
the  reptile's  breath  against  my  face.  It  was  a  great  scare. 
People  do  not  get  over  snake  bites  very  easily,  and  I  am 
sure  you  are  not  astonished  that  I  was  frightened. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

A  DESERTED  VILLAGE. — FEAR  OF  DEATH. — WARS   BETWEEN 
VILLAGES. — AFRICAN   WILD   BOAR. — THE    HUNT. 

I  HAVE  just  arrived  in  a  deserted  village ;  there  was 
not  a  soul  to  be  seen.  There  was  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing,  to  remind  us  of  living  man  except  the  aban- 
doned huts.  How  sad  every  thing  looked  all  around! 
The  plantain-trees  were  growing  back  of  the  huts,  and 
young  bunches  of  plantains  were  gracefully  hanging 
down  from  them. 

Even  the  little  Sycobii  birds  had  left,  and  only  their 
deserted  nests  on  the  trees  testified  that  once  they  had 
built  their  homes  there. 

What  had  become  of  the  people  ?  They  had  left : 
they  had  abandoned  their  village.  How  often  I  have 
met  these  abandoned  villages  in  the  forests  of  Africa, 
but  especially  in  the  regions  inhabited  by  the  Bakalais, 
the  Mbondemos,  the  Mbishos,  the  Shekianis. 

This  village  was  situated  on  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Eiver  Ovenga,  about  90  miles  south  of  the  equator.  As 
I  was  not  afraid  of  evil  spirits,  I  concluded  I  should  use 
the  huts  to  sleep  in  at  night ;  but  there  was  tremendous 
opposition  at  first,  for  the  men  who  were  with  me  said 
it  was  a  bewitched  village ;  two  people  had  died  there 
within  a  few  days  of  each  other ;  the  place  was  not  good 


190  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

to  live  in  ;  some  of  us  would  die  if  we  remained.  Poor 
creatures,  though  daring  and  brave  in  the  hunt,,  how 
afraid  they  are  of  death !  Hence  if  a  man  dies  in  a  vil- 
lage there  is  a  great  commotion,  if  another  dies  the  vil- 
lage must  be  abandoned. 

A  village  is  scarce  built,  often  the  plantations  have 
not  borne  fruit  for  the  first  time,  when  they  feel  impelled 
to  move.  Then  every  thing  is  abandoned ;  they  gather 
up  what  few  stores  of  provisions  they  may  have,  and 
start  off,  often  for  great  distances,  to  make,  with  tedious 
labor,  a  new  settlement,  which  will  be  abandoned  in 
turn  after  a  few  months.  Sometimes,  however,  they  re- 
main for  two  or  even  three  months  more  in  the  same 
place. 

Many  things  contribute  to  their  roving  habits,  but 
first  of  all  I  have  said  is  their  great  fear  of  death.  They 
dread  to  see  a  dead  person.  Their  sick,  unless  they  have 
good  and  near  friends,  are  often  driven  out  of  the  village 
to  die  in  loneliness  in  the  forest.  Those  Bakalai  have  no 
burying-ground.  After  a  man  is  dead  the  body  is 
thrown  anywhere  in  the  forest,  and  no  more  attention  is 
paid  to  it. 

The  people  of  these  tribes  are  very  superstitious,  and 
often  after  the  death  of  a  man  several  friendless  creat- 
ures are  accused  and  condemned  in  a  breath,  and  mur- 
dered in  cold  blood.  Afterward  the  village  is  broken 
up,  the  people  set  up  again  after  their  wanderings,  and 
fix  upon  some  lonely  spot  for  a  new  plantation  and  a 
new  home. 

What  a  life  this  must  be,  to  be  all  the  while  vainly 
fleeing  from  the  dread  face  of  death,  as  if  such  a  thing 
were  possible.  What  can  stand  still  in  the  world? 


WARS  BETWEEN  VLLA  GES.  1 9 1 

Nothing;  absolutely  nothing;  constant  changes  are 
taking  place. 

These  people  are  of  a  treacherous  disposition,  and  are 
constantly  quarrelling  among  their  neighbors.  They  are 
most  barbarous  in  their  mode  of  warfare,  in  which  wom- 
en, children,  and  even  babies  are  killed.  Once  while 
staying  in  a  Bakalai  village  there  were  two  women,  who 
were  quietly  washing,  and  were  killed  and  left  there,  un- 
til the  people,  wondering  at  their  disappearance,  looked 
for  them,  and  found  them  dead. 

When  war  has  once  really  broken  out  in  the  country 
there  is  no  rest  or  safety.  No  man  or  woman  in  any 
village  can  take  a  step  in  any  direction,  day  or  night, 
without  fear  of  death.  They  lie  in  ambush  to  surprise 
each  other's  villages.  If  they  have  guns,  they  come  on 
the  sly  and  shoot  through  the  bark  of  which  their  houses 
are  made,  and  kill  sleeping  persons ;  hence  no  one  could 
sleep  for  two  consecutive  nights  at  the  same  place.  In 
passing  a  tree,  sometimes  the  enemy  steals  in  behind,  and 
will  spear  the  poor  luckless  man,  woman,  or  child.  They 
use  every  unfair  means  of  warfare ;  and  the  meaner  the 
attack,  and  the  greater  the  treachery,  the  more  glory  they 
have  won.  In  such  times  of  war  the  fires  are  put  out 
after  dark,  because  they  give  light  to  the  enemy,  and  the" 
glare  of  the  fire  makes  blind  those  near  it,  while  those 
who  come  through  the  darkness  can  see  well.  The  peo- 
ple keep  a  dead  silence,  lest  their  voices  should  betray 
their  whereabouts ;  the  hunters  are  loth  to  hunt,  for  fear 
of  falling  into  an  ambush  of  some  hidden  enemies ;  the 
women  and  slaves  fear  to  plant,  and  therefore  every  body 
approaches  a  condition  of  semi-starvation.  This  some- 
times lasts  for  months.  At  last  whole  districts  are  de- 


192  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

populated  ;  those  who  are  not  killed  desert  their  villages 
to  seek  safety  in  some  remote  and  unknown  spot  of  the 
forest  where  they  think  they  may  be  safer ;  hence  very 
often  I  felt  quite  astonished  to  meet  little  villages  far 
off.  Many  of  their  villages  are  palisaded,  and  their  dogs 
keep  watch. 

Yes,  among  such  people  I  have  lived  for  a  long  time 
when  there  was  war  in  the  country,  and  I  never  knew  if 
by  mistake  they  might  not  kill  me. 

Now  I  have  given  you  a  slight  idea  of  these  warlike 
and  treacherous  Bakalai.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Ovenga  Quengueza  has  succeeded  in 
preventing  these  wild  men  from  making  war  upon  each 
other's  villages. 

We  have  come  to  shoot  wild  boar.  It  is  the  season 
when  they  are  very  fat,  for  we  are  in  the  month  of  March, 
and  I  tell  you  these  wild  boars  of  Equatorial  Africa  are 
glorious  eating,  and  are  magnificent  beasts  to  bag. 

Do  not  think  they  look  like  the  wild  boars  they  have 
in  Europe.  Nothing  of  the  kind.  It  is  no  easy  matter 
to  come  near  enough  to  have  a  shot  at  these  wild  beasts, 
for  they  are  exceedingly  shy. 

Night  came,  and  my  fellows  were  so  afraid  of  evil 
spirits  that  they  kept  tremendous  fires  and  kept  talking 
all  night,  and  when  daylight  came  they  felt  so  tired  that 
they  all  went  to  sleep.  This  will  never  do,  I  said  to 
myself,  for  if  a  man  does  not  sleep  at  night  he  certainly 
can  not  work  hard  in  the  day. 

After  they  awoke  they  came  in  a  body,  friend  Malaou- 
en  leading,  saying  that  we  had  better  go  and  make  our 
camp  far  away  in  the  forest,  for  the  place  where  we  were 
was  not  good  at  all.  I  thought  some  of  them  might  get 


AFRICAN  WILD  BOAR.  193 

ill  through  fear,  so  I  concluded  I  had  better  move,  for 
the  people  would  lay  the  blame  upon  me.  People  have 
to  be  very  prudent  in  such  a  wild  country. 

So  we  moved  our  traps  a  few  miles  off  and  built 
our  camp ;  this  was  hardly  done  when  a  storm  burst 
upon  us,  and  the  rain  poured  down  by  bucketsful,  and 
the  thunder  and  the  lightning  was  something  terrific. 
It  was  a  good  thing  that  our  shades  were  right,  for  we 
should  have  been  wet  to  the  skin. 

Early  the  next  morning  I  shouldered  my  rifle  and  set 
off  for  the  wildest  part  of  the  wood  with  friends  Malaouen 
and  Querlaouen,  who  now  felt  quite  happy  since  we  had 
left  the  abandoned  village.  The  woods  were  pretty  hard 
to  go  through,  for  the  hunting-paths  had  not  been  used 
often,  for  fear  of  the  Bakalai  living  in  the  Ashankolo. 

In  this  gigantic  forest  there  is  a  most  extraordinary 
kind  of  wild  boar,  its  body  being  of  a  bright  red-yellow 
color,  somewhat  like  that  of  an  orange. .  How  strange 
they  look  as  they  wander  through  the  forest,  sometimes 
a  few  together,  at  other  times  twenty  or  thirty,  or  even 
larger  numbers ! 

That  morning  we  got  into  new  and  fresh  tracks  of 
the  wild  boars ;  the  earth  was  all  uprooted  by  their  snouts. 
I  am  sure  they  had  not  come  to  the  place  a  half-hour  be- 
fore we  did,  and  what  a  havoc  they  had  made !  We  fol- 
lowed the  tracks  in  hot  haste ;  soon  we  could  hear  their 
grunts,  and  we  thought  they  must  be  numerous  by  the 
noise  they  made. 

How  to  approach  them  was  the  difficult  question ;  for 

if  there  is  any  wild  game,  this  is  certainly  one  of  the 

wildest  sort  I  know.     If  there  had  been  two  or  three  of 

them  together  we  might  not  have  had  so  much  difficulty 

I 


194  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

in  approaching  them ;  but  how  were  we  to  approach  so 
many  without  being  detected  ? 

So  we  concluded  to  go  by  a  roundabout  way  and  try 
to  get  ahead  of  them,  and  then  lay  in  ambush,  waiting 
for  them  to  pass. 

The  wild  boars  were  in  a  valley,  where  the  ground  was 
somewhat  soft,  and  they  would,  I  thought,  continue  to  fol- 
low it.  In  the  midst  of  this  valley  there  was  a  beautiful 
little  rivulet  of  clear  water  meandering  crookedly  on  in 
the  same  uneven  manner  as  the  narrow  valley  itself, 
which  was  flanked  on  each  side  by  tremendous  high 
hills,  covered  like  the  valley  and  all  the  country  round 
with  gigantic  trees,  which  bore  different  kinds  of  fruits 
and  nuts. 

Then  we  concluded  to  ascend  a  hill  close  by  and  de- 
scend in  as  swift  a  manner  as  we  could  into  the  valley 
on  the  other  side,  which  was  the  same  one  in  which  we 
were  standing  >  by  doing  so,  we  could  make  a  short  cut 
and  get  ahead  of  the  wild  boars,  and  then  choose  our 
ground  and  wait  for  them. 

The  plan  succeeded  perfectly.  After  crossing,  we 
found  a  huge  dead  tree  fallen  on  the  ground,  and  behind 
it  we  hid  ourselves. 

Soon  we  heard  the  grunts  of  the  wild  boars  coming ; 
we  were  delighted ;  we  looked  at  our  guns,  then  fixed 
the  barrels  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  raised  our  heads 
hardly  above  it,  and  only  so  high  that  our  eyes  could 
get  a  glimpse  at  the  wild  boars. 

Here  they  come  !  I  can  see  them  through  the  jungle, 
snorting  unconsciously  and  eating  what  they  have  up- 
rooted. How  little  do  they  think  there  are  such  formida- 
ble enemies  close  at  hand !  They  came  nearer  and  near- 


A  PIECE  OF  STBATEO  Y.  1 95 

er.  Then  after  looking  at  each  other,  as  if  to  say,  Is  it 
time  ?  we  took  steady  aim,  put  our  fingers  on  the  triggers, 
and  bang !  bang !  bang !  our  three  guns  went  off  at  the 
same  time,  three  wild  boars  biting  the  ground,  and  the 
others  giving  tremendous  leaps.  Four  of  them,  crazy 
with  fright,  came  rushing  along,  leaping  over  the  trunk 
of  the  trees  behind  which  we  were  hidden,  and  right 
above  our  heads.  My  goodness !  if  they  had  come  down 
upon  us  they  would  have  completely  smashed  us.  I 
turned  round,  fired  my  second  shot,  and  bagged  another. 
"  Four  wild  boars  are  killed  1"  we  shouted  with  frantic 

joy* 


KILLING   FOUB   WILD   JIOAIiK. 


What  splendid  animals  two  of  them  were  !  How  big ! 
the  wild  boars  of  the  black  forest  in  Germany  could  not 
have  compared  with  them. 

This  wild  boar  is  a  new  species,  and  I  have  called  it  Po- 
lamochairus  albifrons :  that  is  to  say,  white-fronted. 


196  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

What  strange-looking  animals!  They  had  a  long 
muzzle,  and  on  each  side  there  was  a  large  warty  protu- 
berance half-way  between  the  nose  and  the  eyes.  These, 
and  a  singular  sort  of  bristle,  surround  the  eyes.  The 
ears,  which  are  long  and  ended  in  tufts  of  coarse  hair,  give 
the  animal  a  strange  expression.  The  bodies  of  the  boars 
were  of  the  color  I  have  mentioned. 

On  my  return  to  the  United  States,  in  1860, 1  gave  a 
full  description  of  this  curious  animal,  and  of  many  oth- 
ers I  discovered,  before  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History.     I  have  always  retained  a  pleasant  recollection 
of  my  visit  to  that  society,  of  its  president,  Professor  Jef- 
j  fries  Wyman,  of  its  secretary,  my  friend  Dr.  Kneeland, 
I  and  of  many  other  members,  who  were  very  kind  to  me. 
But  how  to  tajie  away  that  meat  ?     We  could  by  no 
possible  means  carry  the  meat  of  four  wild  boars.     So 
myself  and  Malaouen  were  to  keep  watch  and  sleep  in 
the  forest  while  Querlaouen  would  go  and  fetch  the  peo- 
ple to  assist  us. 

This  Potamochcerus  albifrons  is  a  great  jumper.  I  have 
seen  no  antelope  that  could  leap  as  it  does;  one  day 
I  saw  three  of  them  leap  over  the  Ovenga  Eiver,  the  dis- 
tance being  thirty  or  forty  yards.  It  was  the  dry  season, 
and  one  of  them  fell  into  the  water.  The  bank  from 
which  they  sprung  was  much  higher  than  the  opposite 
one. 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

IN   THE  WILD   FOREST. HOSTILE    TBIBES. — AN   INTRENCHED 

CAMP. — FOEATS  FOE  PROVISIONS. 

I  AM  in  the  midst  of  the  densest  and  wildest  part  of  the 
forest,  situated  not  far  from  the  Ashankolo  Mountains. 

Who  are  these  three  wild-looking  men  that  are  with 
me? 

They  are  Querlaouen,  Malaouen,  and  Grambo. 

What  are  we  doing  seated  on  the  ground,  each  one  of 
us  seeming  so  thoughtful? 

We  are  holding  a  grand  council. 

The  country  to  which  we  have  come  is  -a  very  danger- 
ous one,  for  war  is  raging  in  the  Ashankolo  land ;  and 
though  the  Ovenga  River  lies  between  us  and  the  Ashan- 
kola  people,  and  though  we  are  at  a  good  distance  from 
them,  we  do  not  feel  safe.  They  might  come  to  hunt  in 
this  very  region.  The  Bakalais  of  the  Ovenga  were  at 
war  with  them,  or  rather  the  Ashankolo  had  declared  war 
against  the  people  of  the  Ovenga,  and  had  killed  two  men 
a  few  weeks  before  belonging  to  the  village  of  a  chief 
called  Anguilai. 

We  ran  the  chance  of  being  killed  at  night  when 
asleep  if  these  fellows  discovered  where  we  were ;  and 
during  the  day  they  might  lie  in  ambush  for  us,  or  they 
might  go  and  fetch  a  great  number  of  people  to  attack 
us. 


198  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

These  were  some  of  the  many  thoughts  that  suggested 
themselves  to  us  as  we  talked  matters  over  together. 

Besides  Malaouen,  Querlaouen,  and  Gambo,  we  had  two 
boys  with  us ;  one  was  named  Njali  and  the  other  Nola. 

We  agreed  that  the  first  thing  we  must  do  was  to 
build  an  intrenched  camp. 

You  will  all  say  at  once,  "  What  a  wild  and  reckless 
set  of  fellows  you  were  to  choose  such  a  place  for  a  hunt- 
ing-ground !" 

So  we  were.  We  seemed  to  delight  in  danger  for  the 
sake  of  the  excitement  it  afforded. 

So,  having  made  up  our  minds  what  to  do,  we  rose, 
and  taking  in  one  hand  our  gun  and  in  the  other  an  axe, 
we  went  bravely  to  work  and  cut  long  poles  about  fifteen 
feet  in  length,  which  we  brought  to  the  place  we  had 
chosen  for  our  camp.  As  we  cut  these  young  trees  we 
laid  our  guns  close  by ;  we  did  not  stop  cutting  these 
poles  until  we  had  a  few  hundreds  of  them,  and  for  three 
days  we  were  at  work  as  hard  as  we  could. 

After  we  had  collected  all  the  poles  we  commenced 
building.  We  had  chosen  a  place  where  four  large  trees 
made  the  four  corners  of  a  square.  They  were  about 
thirty  feet  apart  from  each  other.  We  then  begun  to  drive 
palisades,  making  them  go  down  about  six  inches  into 
the  ground  ;  these  we  tied  close  together  with  strong  lianas 
we  had  collected,  until  at  last  the  square  was  finished. 
We  cut  all  the  underbrush  inside,  and  made  a  very  clean 
place  for  the  interior  of  our  fort. 

Then  the  question  was  how  to  get  inside?  So  we 
made  two  ladders,  one  of  creepers,  flexible  like  ropes,  for 
the  outside ;  the  other,  for  the  inside,  was  a  very  strong 
step-ladder.  For  the  latter  we  cut  two  poles,  and  tied 


AN  INTRENCHED  CAMP.  199 

crossed  sticks  upon  them  for  steps.  This  ladder,  as  we  have 
said,  was  for  the  inside,  so  that  after  we  should  reach  the 
top  of  the  palisade  we  could  pull  inside  our  ladder  made 
of  creepers,  and  that  would  thus  be  quite  safe,  for  we 
knew  that  no  one  could  leap  over  the  palisade. 

We  then,  in  the  inside  of  the  palisade,  stuck  leaves 
upon  the  walls,  so  that  if  perchance  any  one  came  they 
could  not  get  a  peep  at  us. 

In  the  interior  of  our  square  there  was  a  somewhat 
tall,  slender  tree,  up  which  we  could  climb  and  observe 
our  enemies,  and  get  a  good  shot  at  them  in  case  we 
should  be  attacked ;  besides  this,  we  had  made  a  good 
many  loop-holes  about  seven  feet  above  the  ground,  so 
that  no  one  outside  could  see  through  them,  and  before 
each  we  had  made  a  high  stand  from  which  we  could 
fire  upon  them  at  our  ease. 

How  glad  we  were  when  it  was  over  I  "We  had  then 
to  build  some  huts  inside  for  ourselves,  to  shelter  us 
from  the  rain.  We  built  roofs  for  these  huts,  which  we 
covered  with  the  bark  of  trees,  and  under  it  we  built  an 
orala,  to  smoke  the  meat  we  might  get  from  the  game 
we  should  kill.  These  oralas  are  made  in  the  following 
manner.  Four  sticks  about  four  feet  in  height,  which  are 
forked,  are  stuck  in  the  ground,  then  cross  sticks  join 
these,  and  across  them  are  laid  quite  a  number  of  sticks. 
This  orala  was  of  course  one  of  the  most  useful  and  nec- 
essary things  we  required. 

Then  we  built  another  shelter  for  myself,  and  how 
careful  they  were  about  this ;  it  was  a  real  hut,  eight  feet 
long,  six  feet  broad,  with  walls  five  feet  high,  and  the 
ridge  of  the  roof  about  eight  feet  in  height  from  the  ground. 
There  I  slept;  the  powder  was  carefully  stored,  and 


200  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

much  of  it,  together  with  bullets,  were  buried  in  the 
ground,  so  that  if  any  one  should  come  when  we  were 
absent  they  would  not  know  where  our  ammunition  was. 
My  four  men  built  also  another  hut  for  themselves. 

These  huts  were  in  the  centre  of  the  yards.  By  the 
time  we  had  finished  our  camp,  our  plantains  and  our 
smoked  cassada  were  stored  away  carefully ;  fortunately 
the  coola  nut  was  there  abundant,  and  we  would  have 
plenty  to  eat. 

We  had  three  very  nice  dogs  with  us,  splendid  hunt- 
ers ;  besides,  they  would  keep  watch  at  night  and  warn 
us  of  danger. 

We  had  also  four  Ashinga  nets ;  each  one  of  us  had 
his  own  gun  and  a  spare  gun  also. 

Malaouen,  Gambo,  Querlaouen,  and  I  were  to  hunt, 
while  the  boys  were  to  attend  to  the  fire- wood  and  to  our 
cooking,  and  also  were  to  collect  the  wild  nuts  or  berries 
of  the  forest. 

All  this  work  was  finished,  and  we  went  into  the  for- 
est and  collected  a  large  quantity  of  fire- wood,  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  we  had  real  hard  work,  and  I  wish  you 
could  have  seen  us.  I  stood  on  the  top  and  threw  in  the 
inside  of  the  fort  the  wood  that  was  handed  to  me  by  the 
others. 

At  last  a  great  pile  of  fire-wood  was  safely  stored  in- 
side, and  we  could  withstand  a  siege.  A  little  brook  rose 
from  under  a  rock  inside  of  our  palisade  not  far  from 
one  of  the  big  trees,  so  that  we  had  plenty  of  water  to 
drink ;  it  was  a  beautiful  little  spring. 

We  felt  very  cosy  and  safe.  We  had  only  two  cook- 
ing-pots with  us.  I  had  a  good  deal  of  tobacco,  for  I 
knew  Querlaouen,  Malaouen,  and  Gambo  to  be  tremen- 


HUNTING  WITH  ASHINOA  NETS.  201 

dous  smokers,  and  they  seemed  to  enjoy  their  pipes  so 
much  in  the  evening  when  the  day's  work  was  over. 

The  medicines  I  had  taken  with  me  were  quinine, 
laudanum,  rhubarb,  and  a  few  other  articles.  I  had  also  a 
bottle  of  brandy,  which  I  intended  to  preserve  most  care- 
fully for  a  case  of  need. 

So,  after- every  thing  was  built,  one  fine  morning  we 
ascended  the  inside  steps,  hung  down  our  outside  ladder, 
and  came  out.  We  had  with  us  the  Ashinga  nets,  with 
which  we  were  going  to  hunt  We  spread  them  in  the 
forest  in  the  same  manner  as  I  have  described  to  you  in 
"  Stories  of  the  Gorilla  Country ;"  but  instead  of  being 
many  we  were  only  four  people,  and  we  had  only  four 
Ashingas,  yet  we  were  very  successful ;  we  trapped  two 
charming  gazelles,  called  ncheri ;  and  a  nchombi,  anoth- 
er beautiful  little  gazelle  of  reddish  color,  and  captured 
also  a  kind  of  wild-cat,  which  got  entangled,  and  which 
we  had  to  kill  on  the  spot  with  the  butt-end  of  our  guns. 

I  ordered  the  men  not  to  kill  the  nchombi  and  one  of 
the  ncheri,  which  we  seized  and  tied  with  native  creep- 
ers and  carried  to  our  camp,  since  I  wished  to  keep  them 
alive  if  possible. 

It  was  a  pretty  good  day's  hunt,  considering  that  we 
had  not  fired  a  gun,  and  that  we  had  not  been  more 
than  three  miles  from  our  camp. 

As  we  approached  our  fort  we  gave  the  signal  agreed 
upon,  which  was  three  separate  whistles,  imitating  the  cry 
of  a  certain  bird  called  pipiyo. 

Soon  the  heads  of  the  boys  peeped  out ;  they  brought 
and  fastened  the   rope-ladder  outside,  and   greeted  us 
with  a  smile  which  showed  their  nice  filed  teeth,  and  cast 
sly  glances  at  the  game  which  we  had  brought. 
12 


202  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

We  were  glad  when  we  were  inside,  for  our  live  stock 
had  not  been  very  easy  to  carry ;  besides,  the  Ashingas 
were  heavy. 

We  immediately  loosened  the  cords  of  the  ncheri 
and  nchombi,  who  for  a  few  minutes  could  not  walk, 
but  soon  afterward  found  their  legs  and  made  most  tre- 
mendous leaps,  cutting  up  wonderful  capers.  They  were 
perfectly  wild,  but  it  was  of  no  use,  they  could  not  leap 
over  the  palisades. 

Part  of  the  ncheri  that  had  been  killed  was  cut  and 
cooked,  and  we  had  a  most  delicious  meal.  We  went  to 
sleep  in  safety,  but  nevertheless  we  kept  our  guns  by  our 
sides. 

Early  the  next  morning  Querlaouen  and  I  went  to  see 
if  our  little  canoe,  that  had  carried  us  up  the  river,  and 
which  we  had  hidden  in  a  little  narrow  creek  somewhat 
remote  from  the  main  river,  was  still  there,  and  also  to 
see  if  we  would  not  meet  with  strange  human  foot-prints, 
which  might  indicate  the  near  presence  of  an  enemy  and 
that  we  had  been  discovered.  We  came  back  perfectly 
satisfied  that  no  one  had  discovered  our  whereabouts  and 
that  our  canoe  was  quite  safe.  So  we  returned  to  tell 
the  news,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  went  and  set  traps  for 
monkeys,  which  were  evidently  somewhat  abundant,  as 
we  could  hear  their  chattering  all  day  long.  Querlaouen, 
besides  his  gun,  had  an  axe  with  him,  and  I  carried  my 
huge  hunting-knife. 

We  came  to  a  little  spring  and  felled  a  small  tree 
across  for  the  monkey  to  use  as  a  bridge ;  then  not  far 
from  the  end  of  the  tree  or  bridge  we  bent  a  bough,  at 
the  extremity  of  which  we  made  a  ring;  This  ring, 
touching  the  bridge,  was  fixed  in  such  a  manner  that  the 


"NOTHING  TO  WEAJt."  203 

monkey  would  have  to  pass  through  it  to  go  to  the  other 
side,  and  in  doing  so  would  start  a  spring,  when  the  ring 
would  fly  up  before  the  monkey  could  get  through  it, 
and  thus  the  animal  would  be  hung  by  the  neck  and 
choked  to  death. 

We  made  two  of  these  traps. 

Then  we  went  and  looked  for  wild  honey,  but  could 
not  at  first  see  any  bee-hive  in  the  hollows  of  trees.  I 
had  just  made  up  my  mind  that  I  should  like  to  have 
some  honey.  Besides,  I  wanted  to  get  some  wax  in  order 
to  make  some  candles. 

Just  as  we  were  returning  to  the  camp  we  discover- 
ed two  bee-hives ;  we  smoked  the  bees,  and  then  took 
the  honey -combs. 

The  next  morning  I  went  right  to  work  to  make  wax 
with  the  honey-comb  we  had  collected.  After  having 
boiled  it  and  made  the  wax,  there  was  a  new  difficulty — 
I  had  no  wick.  I  had  never  thought  of  it  before ;  of 
course  I  had  not  a  bit  of  cotton  with  me,  and  I  finally 
concluded  that  I  would  tear  off  the  lower  part  of  one  of 
the  two  only  shirts  I  possessed  to  make  wick.  Acting 
with  the  thought,  I  tore  the  shirt  I  had  a  good  deal 
of  trouble  to  make  these  candles.  First  I  dipped  the 
whole  length  of  the  wick  in  the  hot  wax,  holding  each 
extremity  by  my  hands ;  then  I  let  the  wax  which  had 
adhered  to  the  wick  get  cold,  and  dipped  again  and  again 
by  the  same  process  until  I  had  obtained  the  size  of  a  can- 
dle. I  succeeded  in  making  eight  candles. 

My  clothes  were  getting  very  much  worn ;  my  panta- 
loons had  been  mended  over  and  over  again,  and  were 
getting  so  old  and  rotten  that  I  did  not  know  what  to  do. 
I  wanted  to  save  a  pair  for  the  sea-shore.  So  I  resolved 


204 


WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 


that  we  should  go  Ashinga  hunting  again,  and  that  I 
would  make  clothes  from  the  skins  of  the  wild  animals 
we  should  capture. 

We  all  turned  out  with  our  Ashingas,  leaving,  of 


.•V\:HMM;   ODT   TOE   BEES. 


course,  Njali  and  Nola  to  take  charge  of  the  premises.  We 
left  them  the  three  spare  guns.  We  took  the  dogs  with  us. 
We  captured,  in  the  first  place,  a  hyena,  which  I  dis- 
patched as  it  laid  entangled  in  the  net  with  a  bullet 
through  the  head.  It  uttered  a  fearful  groan.  We  cap- 
tured a  porcupine,  which  we  killed  with  a  club.  Then 


MAKING  CLOTHES.  205 

we  laid  unsuccessfully  the  Ashingas  three  times,  and  I 
began  to  think  that  we  would  have  nothing  but  hyena 
for  dinner  and  supper,  and  no  skins  to  make  clothes 
with.  We  must  make  another  trial. 

We  went  a  long  distance  to  haul  our  nets  again,  and 
then  captured  two  ncheris  and  two  nchombis.  We  killed 
them  on  the  spot  with  clubs,  and  then  returned  home. 

I  insisted  on  having  these  four  animals  skinned,  for 
I  wanted  their  skins  to  make  a  pair  of  trowsers.  We 
had  taken  off  the  hyena  skin  and  left  its  body  on  the 
spot,  no  one  fancying  the  meat,  especially  as  we  had 
other  game  to  eat. 

Njali  and  Kola  received  us  with  open  arms,  but  did 
not  show  their  heads  above  the  fence  until  they  had 
heard  our  peculiar  whistle.  I  was  glad  of  our  success, 
for  I  wanted  some  clothes  very  much. 

I  dried  the  skins,  and  then  tried  to  tan  them  by  beat- 
ing them,  and  using  the  bark  of  a  certain  tree.  Then 
with  the  fibres  of  the  leaves  of  the  pine-apple  I  made 
some  thread ;  and  I  had  with  me  strong  needles,  which 
I  used  in  preparing  the  skins  of  animals.  I  cut  these 
skins  in  such  a  shape  that  I  thought  I  would  make  from 
them  a  pretty  comfortable  pair  of  pantaloons. 

I  wish  you  had  seen  me  dressed  in  those  pantaloons. 
They  were  very  tough  a.nd  hard.  Then  I  made  a  kind 
o^shirt  with  the  skin  of  the  hyena ;  that  is,  I  joined  two 
flat  pieces  together,  left  a  hole  for  my  head  to  pass 
through,  and  on  each  side  holes  for  my  arms.  I  did  not 
want  any  sleeves.  This  hyena  shirt  was  short,  and  only 
reached  my  waist.  How  strangely  I  looked,  dressed 
in  these  long  shaggy  skins ! 

Afterward  we  went  to  work,  and  closed  with  sticks 


206  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

and  branches  of  trees  a.  little  shallow  creek — almost  a 
pond — which  communicated  with  a  larger  one,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  fish  from  going  out,  and  thus  there  was  a 
prospect  of  having  plenty  of  fish  to  eat.  Then,  when 
this  work  was  done,  we  went  again  in  search  of  bee- 
hives, which  are  abundant  in  these  forests.  We  dis- 
covered two,  which  were  very  high,  and,  of  course,  in  the 
hollow  of  the  trees.  We  concluded  to  come  and  smoke 
them  out  the  next  day. 

These  two  hives  were  made  by  two  different  kinds  of 
bees,  one  very  small  black  kind,  looking  almost  like  a 
little  fly,  and  the  other  by  a  bee  of  the  size  of  our  bees 
in  America ;  the  honey  of  the  latter  is  excellent  when 
the  comb  is  white  and  new. 

So  after  all  we  were,  I  thought,  in  a  pretty  good 
country,  but  unfortunately  not  very  safe,  on  account  of 
its  warlike  inhabitants ;  hence  we  were  always  on  the 
alert  for  fear  that  they  might  find  our  whereabouts. 


TEAPI'ING   THE   MONKEY. 


A  TRAPPED  MONKEY.  207 

The  next  day  Querlaouen  and  I,  when  visiting  mon- 
key traps,  found  that  a  beautiful  ndova  had  been  caught. 
He  was  hanging  high  in  the  air  quite  dead,  but  the  body 
still  warm.  It  had  just  been  trapped. 

These  ndovas  are  most  beautiful  monkeys,  being 
among  the  prettiest  I  have  ever  seen.  This  was  very 
large,  and  such  a  fat  one !  The  face  of  Querlaouen 
grinned  with  joy  at  the  thought  of  the  splendid  feast  he 
was  to  have  on  our  return.  The  fur  is  splendid. 

These  ndovas  are  very  abundant  in  the  forests  of 
Africa,  and  the  hair  is  of  a  beautiful  dark  color. 

The  great  peculiarity  of  the  animal  is  his  perfectly 
white  nose.  How  strange  they  look  while  peeping  at 
you  in  the  forest  with  that  strange  white  spot!  They 
are  called  by  naturalists  white-nosed  monkeys. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

WE  DISCOVER   HUMAN  FOOT-PRINTS. WE    SPY  OUT   THE  EN- 
EMY.  A   FEMALE    GORILLA. MATERNAL   FONDNESS. 

ONE  morning,  just  at  daylight,  Querlaouen  and  I, 
without  saying  a  word  to  Gambo  and  Malaouen,  scaled 
our  palisade  with  the  ladder  and  went  to  look  after  the 
traps  we  had  made  for  the  monkeys,  in  order  to  see  if 
we  had  caught  some  more. 

We  were  going  silently  into  the  forest,  and  as  noise- 
lessly as  we  could,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  an  antelope  or 
wild  boar,  or  some  other  kind  of  wild  animal  on  our  way. 
At  last  we  reached  the  banks  of  a  little  stream,  situated, 
as  I  judged,  about  six  or  seven  miles  from  our  camp, 
when  lo !  Malaouen  and  I  saw  what  threw  us  into  a  great 
state  of  excitement. 

Human  foot-prints ! 

Yes,  there  was  no  mistake  about  it ;  there  were  eight 
foot-prints  in  the  mud  on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  and 
these  were  the  marks  of  four  men  who  had  been  there. 
They  were  fresh  tracks. 

Who  were  they  ? 

Were  they  warlike  Bakalais  of  the  Ashankolo  coun- 
try ?  Were  they  enemies  or  friends.? 

Querlaouen  and  I  looked  in  each  other's  face  without 
saying  a  word,  and  by  instinct  both  of  us  looked  most 


WE  DISCOVER  FOOT-PRINTS.  £09 

carenmy  at  our  guns,  and  we  began  to  mistrust  every 
tree  around,  us,  for  some  one  might  be  hiding  behind 
them,  and  getting  ready  to  send  a  bearded  spear  through 
us. 

We  did  not  like  at  all  the  idea  of  people  being  in  our 


WE   DISCOVER    FOOT-1'RINTB. 


hunting-ground,  but  we  liked  still  less  the  idea  that  these 
people  might  be  our  enemies. 

My  pair  of  revolvers  were  in  good  order,  and  I  do  not 
know  why,  but  I  always  felt  very  strong  and  reckless 
when  I  had  them  with  the  belt  holding  them  round 


210  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

rny  waist,  and  that  very  morning  I  felt  confident  and 
secure. 

After  consultation,  we  concluded  that  we  would  fol- 
low the  foot-prints  to  the  point  they  had  come  from, 
which  we  did,  and  at  last  reached  a  spot  where  we  saw  a 
small  canoe  tied  to  a  tree.  This  canoe  certainly  did  not 
belong  to  any  people  we  knew,  and  consequently  must 
come  from  some  far  village  situated  on  the  very  head- 
waters of  the  Ovenga  Eiver,  and  belonged  no  doubt  to 
those  savage  and  warlike  Bakalai  inhabiting  that  wild 
mountainous  region. 

Our  great  object  was  to  prevent  them  from  following 
our  tracks,  and  thus  finding  our  camp.  What  was  to  be 
done? 

Our  foot-prints  were  mixed  with  theirs,  and  my  shoes 
had  left  unmistakable  marks  of  their  heels  and  soles,  and 
I  wondered  what  those  fellows  would  think  in  seeing 
them.  My  only  hope  was  that  they  would  be  seized 
with  terror,  and  that  in  those  marks  they  might  see  the 
tokens  of  a  mighty  spirit. 

Close  by,  entering  into  that  creek,  there  was  a  beauti- 
ful little  rivulet  of  clear  water,  whose  pebbly  bed  sug- 
gested to  me  that  we  had  better  follow  its  course,  and 
then  make  a  short  cut  and  find  our  way  the  best  we 
could. 

Another  idea  occurred  to  me  that  Querlaouen  and  I 
had  better  ascend  some  tree  not  far  off,  and  wait  and  see 
really  who  these  men  were. 

So  we  ascended  the  pebbly  stream,  leaving  no  marks 
behind  us,  and  then  made  for  the  forest  again,  and  pro- 
ceeded almost  to  the  spot  where  the  canoe  was.  Not  far 
from  there  were  two  short  trees,  the  thick  foliage  of 


WHAT  WE  SAW.  211 

which  would  shelter  us  from  any  ordinary  gaze,  and  whose 
heavy  limbs  would  afford  us  comfortable  rest.  These 
two  trees  were  very  close  together.  Querlaouen  ascended 
one,  and  I  ascended  the  other  by  the  help  of  the  lianas 
and  creepers  which  hung  from  their  branches  to  the 
ground.  Our  guns  were  slung  on  our  backs.  We  nev- 
er uttered  a  word,  but  fixed  ourselves  as  comfortably 
as  we  could,  and  in  such  manner  that  we  could  fire 
at  our  enemies  if  attacked.  Malaouen  looked  at  his 
gun.  I  did  the  same,  and  then  petted  my  two  re- 
volvers, as  if  to  say,  You,  boys,  are  the  good  fellows  for 
a  true  fight. 

We  were  as  silent  as  two  statues,  waiting  patiently  for 
something  to  turn  up. 

At  last  we  thought  we  heard  voices  in  the  far  dis- 
tance, which  we  had  at  first  taken  for  the  chatter  of 
monkeys.  The  noise  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  we 
finally  distinguished  the  sound  of  human  voices. 

I  got  so  excited  that  I  could  hardly  breathe,  and  every 
beat  of  my  heart  became  very  distinct 

At  last  we  saw  four  stalwart  fellows,  tattooed  all  over, 
covered  with  hunting  and  war  fetiches,  armed  to  the  teeth 
with  spears,  and  two  of  them  carried  Ashinga  nets,  with 
which  they  had  been  hunting  on  a  small  scale,  and  had 
with  them  one  gazelle  (a  ncheri). 

Suddenly  coming  to  their  canoe,  they  saw  Querlaouen's 
foot-prints,  which  threw  them  into  a  great  state  of  excite- 
ment, when  one  of  them  pointed  to  the  other,  my  foot- 
prints, saying,  "  What  are  those  marks  ?  they  must  be  the 
marks  of  a  spirit  1"  They  looked  at  them,  and  suddenly 
an  uncontrollable  panic  seized  the  four,  and  they  rushed 
for  their  canoe,  seized  their  paddles,  and  went  down  the 


212  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

stream  with  the  utmost  precipitation,  as  if  fire  and  brim- 
stone were  after  them. 

In  the  wink  of  an  eye  they  were  out  of  sight,  and 
Querlaouen  and  I  came  down  from  our  trees.  We  had 
not  been  mistaken.  The  fellows  were  Bakalai  of  the 
Ashankola  country. 

It  was  late  in  the  day,  and  there  was  no  hope  of  our 
reaching  our  fortified  camp  before  dark.  We  moved  to- 
ward it,  and  at  sundown  we  collected  fire-wood,  lighted 
three  tremendous  piles  of  it,  and  soon  had  splendid  fires, 
cooked  the  three  plantains  each  of  us  had  for  our  dinner, 
and  after  our  meal  Malaouen  and  I  had  a  grand  chat. 

Querlaouen  is  a  splendid  fellow.  I  love  him  dearly, 
and  we  are  sworn  friends.  I  feel  that  if  any  one 
should  try  to  injure  or  kill  him  I  should  fight  to  the 
death  for  him.  He  is  so  brave,  he  is  so  kind-hearted, 
such  a  noble  specimen  of  a  savage  as  we  seldom  see ! 
I  wish  I  could  have  only  been  able  to  root  out  of  him 
his  belief  in  witchcraft  and  fetiches. 

Querlaouen  then  told  me  his  history. 

"  Chaillee,"  said  he,  "  my  father  belonged  to  a  clan 
which  lived  in  the  Ashankolo  Mountains,  and  in  his 
younger  days  had  crossed  a  large  river,  called  the 
Ngouyai.  He  was  the  chief  of  a  village,  and  a  great 
warrior.  In  the  country  where  we  lived  there  was 
nothing  but  fighting  and  fighting ;  village  was  against  vil- 
lage, and  often  brother  against  brother ;  not  a  day  passed 
that  some  one  was  not  killed.  You  know  our  mode  of 
warfare ;  we  kill  any  one,  old  man,  woman,  or  babe — we 
have  no  mercy.  One  night  my  father's  village  was  at- 
tacked. We  fought  and  fought,  and  at  last  repulsed  the 
enemy,  who  fled  in  dismay.  My  father  was  killed,  two 


A  FEMALE  GORILLA.  213 

sisters  of  mine  were  killed,  also  several  other  people  of 
the  village.  Then  we  moved  toward  the  banks  of  the 
Ovenga ;  we  soon  came  down  the  stream,  and  now  I  have 
grown  a  man,  and  live  where  my  village  is.  I  only  wish 
you  would  live  all  the  time  among  us.  We  should  take 
such  care  of  you." 

After  fixing  our  fires  we  went  to  sleep,  and  early  the 
next  morning  we  made  for  our  camp.  We  had  hardly 
gone  two  miles  into  the  woods,  when  lo!  I  heard  a  kind 
of  chuckle  which  told  me  that  a  gorilla  was  not  far  off. 

The  sound  came  from  a  densely- wooded  and  dark  ra- 
vine, and  from  the  very  bottom  of  it.  When  we  reached 
the  place  we  found  it  to  be  one  of  those  ugly  bogs  where 
you  go  knee-deep  into  the  mud,  walking  on  the  roots  of 
trees,  and  sometimes  get  stuck  fast  in  this  position. 

The  gorilla  was  right  in  the  midst  of  the  bog ;  it  was 
a  female,  and  at  every  moment  we  expected  to  see  a  large 
male  standing  before  us,  roaring  like  a  demon,  and  asking 
us  what  we  came  to  do  in  this  dark  recess  of  the  forest, 
where  it  had  made  its  abode  with  his  wife,  and  perhaps 
his  baby  gorilla. 

How  carefully  we  looked  at  our  guns !  how  watchful 
our  eyes  were  I  We  were  not  to  be  easily  surprised. 
The  bog  was  like  one  of  the  worst  kind  we  have  in  Amer- 
ica in  the  overflowed  and  woody  land  of  the  Western 
country;  only  here  we  have  creepers,  thorny  bushes,  and 
hanging  lianas,  and  grass  that  cuts  like  a  razor. 

We  entered  the  swamp,  and  went  nearer  and  nearer  the 
sound  we  had  heard  first,  and  came  to  a  dry  spot,  when  lo ! 
we  spied  a  female  gorilla  and  her  young  baby.  The 
baby  was  very  small,  a  very  dear  little  baby  it  was  to  its 
mother,  for  she  appeared  with  her  extremely  black  face, 


214  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

to  look  at  it  with  great  fondness.  I  was  disarmed ;  I 
could  not  possibly  fire.  I  seemed  spell-bound,  and  could 
not  raise  my  gun  to  fire.  Yes,  there  was  something  too 
human  in  that  female  and  her  offspring ;  it  hung  by  her 
breast,  but,  unlike  our  babies,  who  have  to  be  entirely  sup- 
ported, its  little  hands  clutched  its  mother's  shoulders 
and  helped  it  to  support  itself.  The  little  fellow  gave  a 
shrill  and  plaintive  cry,  and  crawled  from  its  mother's 
arms  to  her  breast  to  be  fed,  and  the  mother  lowered  her 
head  and  looked  at  her  offspring,  and  with  his  little  fin- 
gers he  pressed  and  pressed  her  breast,  so  that  the  milk 
could  come  more  freely. 

On  a  sudden  the  mother  gave  a  tremendous  cry,  and 
before  I  knew  it  she  had  disappeared  through  the  forest. 

I  would  not  have  missed  this  scene  for  a  great  deal, 
and  I  wish  that  you  had  all  been  with  me  to  see  it,  for  I 
know  that  perhaps  such  scenes  may  never  be  seen  again 
by  a  civilized  man ;  I  knew  that  it  had  never  been  seen 
before.  The  gorilla  will  one  day  disappear.  A  day  will 
come  when  he  who  writes  these  pages  will  have  been  long 
dead  and  forgotten,  but  perhaps  the  record  of  what  he 
has  seen  may,  like  the  record  of  Hanno,  fall  into  the 
hands  of  some  one,  and  it  will  be  read  like  a  strange 
tale. 

I  have  brought  away,  altogether,  thirty-one  gorilla 
skins  and  skeletons ;  I  have  captured  more  than  a  dozen 
live  gorillas,  young  ones,  of  course,  and,  altogether,  I 
must  have  seen  at  different  times  during  my  twelve 
years'  explorations  more  than  three  hundred  of  them. 


CHAPTEE  XXVIII. 

HOW   WE    WEEK    RECEIVED   AT    CAMP. — THREATENED   WITH 
STARVATION. — A   NIGHT   IN   CAMP. — MALAOUEN's    8TOEY. 

WE  left  the  gorilla  scene  I  have  just  described  to  you 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  made  for  our  camp.  As 
we  came  in  sight  of  it  Querlaouen  gave  the  peculiar  whis- 
tle agreed  upon  to  announce  our  arrival,  and  soon  after 
we  saw  the  head  of  Gambo  and  Malaouen  peeping  out 
above  the  fence,  also  the  heads  of  the  two  boys  Njali 
and  Nola. 

The  ladder  was  handed  down  to  us ;  soon  we  were 
inside,  and,  before  I  knew  it,  Malaouen  was  hugging  me 
as  hard  as  he  could ;  when  he  had  done,  and  before  I 
had  time  to  breathe  and  free  myself  from  his  embrace  en- 
tirely, I  was  hugged  by  friend  Gambo.  The  boys  jump- 
ed around,  and  there  was  tremendous  excitement  in  the 
camp.  The  poor  fellows  had  been  very  anxious,  and  did 
not  know  what  had  become  of  us.  When  night  came 
they  became  very  uneasy ;  perhaps  we  had  been  killed 
by  the  Ashankolo  Bakalai,  or  by  some  wild  beasts. 

Gambo,  looking  with  pride  into  Malaouen's  face,  said, 
"  Did  I  not  tell  you  that  they  would  come  back  all  safe?" 
They  were  washed  with  the  chalk  of  the  Alumbi,  cover- 
ed with  their  fetiches,  and  had  gone  through  all  sorts  of 
heathen  ceremonies  to  find  out  whether  we  were  safe. 
The  little  wooden  idol  of  Gambo  had  also  been  consult- 


216  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

ed.  Gambo  is  a  celebrated  doctor  who  can  tell  future 
events;  and,  as  a  proof,  he  pointed  us  to  his  friend, 
shouting,  "Did  I  not  tell  you  that  they  would  return 
safely  ?" 

Both  Gambo  and  Malaouen  had  been  looking  at  us 
with  keen  eyes  upon  our  arrival,  to  know  if  we  had 
come  with  a  well-provided  larder,  and  seemed  somewhat 
disappointed  when  they  saw  us  empty-handed,  for  they 
had  fancied  us  coming  back  with  a  fat  monkey  or  a  nice 
gazelle. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  camp,  with  the  exception 
of  the  nchombi  and  ncheri  gazelles  which  we  had  kept 
alive,  and  these  I  did  not  wish  to  kill  then.  So  we  con- 
cluded that  Gambo  and  the  two  boys  should  go  to  a  se- 
cluded plantation  belonging  to  Malaouen  and  gather 
plantains,  while  Malaouen,  Querlaouen,  and  myself  would 
go  hunting  and  try  to  kill  a  wild  boar.  It  was  the  sea- 
son when  these  latter  were  splendid  eating.  In  the 
mean  time  we  would  collect  nuts  and  live  upon  them ; 
if  we  could  not  find  these,  we  would  then  quietly  starve, 
waiting  for  Gambo  and  the  boys  with  their  plantains. 

We  all  bade  good-by  to  friend  Gambo,  and  to  Njali 
and  Nola,  wishing  them  good  luck  and  plenty  of  nuts  on 
the  road  to  fill  their  empty  stomachs  ;  and  as  they  disap- 
peared they  reciprocated  our  wishes  about  the  nuts,  and 
we  had  a  jolly  laugh. 

After  Gambo's  departure  we  held  a  great  council,  and 
agreed  that  we  had  better  empty  the  little  creek  we  had 
dammed  to  prevent  the  fish  from  going  out,  and  see  if  we 
would  meet  with  good  fortune  there.  So  we  took  our 
kettle  with  us,  and  every  thing  else  that  could  draw 
water,  and  started,  leaving  our  camp  entirely  nnprotect- 


DRAINING  OUR  FISH-POND.  219 

ed.  I  need  not  tell  you  that  we  had  our  guns,  and  plen- 
ty of  powder,  shot,  and  bullets. 

It  was  no  small  work  to  empty  this  creek  or  little 
pond,  I  can  assure  you.  For  hours  we  went  on  dipping 
our  kettles  and  baskets  and  throwing  the  water  out,  until 
at  last  the  water  became  shallow,  and  we  could  see  great 
quantities  of  ground  fish,  called  niozi,  together  with 
other  large  ones  whose  names  I  forget.  These  niozi  are 
splendid  little  fishes,  and  the  natives  think  a  great  deai 
of  them.  In  the  dry  season  a  great  many  are  caught, 
and  they  are  smoked  and  kept  for  hard  times. 

We  made  a  bountiful  harvest,  and  had  to  make  bask- 
ets with  the  branches  of  trees  in  order  to  carry  our  loads 
to  the  camp.  Then  we  lighted  fires  under  our  oralas  to 
smoke  the  fish,  and  after  cooking  we  ate  some  of  them. 

We  had  had  a  grand  success  with  the  fish,  and  now 
we  determined  to  try  our  hands  at  a  wild  boar  hunt, 
which  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  difficult,  for  the  wild 
boar  is  very  shy  in  these  forests ;  but  when  fat,  the  ani- 
mal is  the  nicest  game  one  can  kill,  for  the  flesh  is  very 
savory  and  delicious. 

And  successful  we  were.  Two  large  enormous  wild 
boars  were  bagged,  one  of  them  by  myself — a  splendid 
fellow,  weighing  several  hundred  pounds.  We  were 
very  thankful  that  these  two  fellows  were  killed  within 
about  two  miles  from  the  camp.  We  disemboweled 
them,  cut  their  hind  and  fore  quarters  apart,  and  the 
rest  of  the  body  in  large  pieces,  and  brought  the  meat  to 
the  camp.  We  had  to  make  several  journeys,  till  I  be- 
gan to  feel  so  tired  that  I  wished  the  boar  meat  any- 
where else,  but  we  must  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines. 

In  the  evening  we  had  bright  fires  under  the  oralas. 


220  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR 

This  is  the  way  to  smoke  meat  here :  we  boil  the  meat 
for  a  short  time,  and  then  put  it  over  the  fire  on  the 
oralas,  and  leave  it  there  until  it  is  perfectly  smoked. 

What  a  splendid  flavor,  and  how  nice  the  meat  would 
have  been  if  we  could  only  have  some  plantains  to  eat 
with  it !  When  is  Gambo  coming  ?  How  near  is  he 
on  the  road  ?  Have  the  elephants  or  gorillas  destroyed 
the  plantation  of  plantain-trees  where  they  have  gone  ? 
Such  were  the  questions  we  asked  ourselves.  People 
can  not  live  on  fish  and  meat  alone.  That  evening  we 
fed  on  boar's  meat,  thankful  for  having  been  so  success- 
ful. 

The  next  morning  the  voice,  or  rather  the  peculiar 
whistle  agreed  upon  outside,  told  us  that  Gambo  had 
come.  I  was  the  first  to  peep  my  head  above  the  fence, 
when  I  saw  friend  Gambo  and  Njali  and  Nola  loaded 
with  plantain  and  cassada,  and  we  gave  them  a  grand 
hurrah  of  welcome. 

I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  face  of  Gambo  as  he 
looked  at  the  wild-boar  meat  which  was  being  smoked ; 
he  was  tremendously  hungry,  he  said,  as  soon  as  he  saw 
the  meat.  So  we  prepared  food  ourselves  for  them,  as 
we  wanted  them  to  rest,  they  looked  so  tired.  They  ate 
such  quantities  of  wild  boar!  I  was  glad  they  had 
brought  some  Cayenne  pepper  with  them  and  some  lem- 
ons. I  had  some  salt,  but  no  one  could  take  any  without 
my  permission. 

We  remained  in  the  camp  all  day,  lying  down  on  our 
beds  of  leaves  and  taking  naps  from  time  to  time,  my 
men  meanwhile  smoking  their  pipes  and  telling  stories. 
Gambo  swore  that  he  saw  a  ghost,  a  real  evil  spirit,  and 
they  all  believed  it  except  myself.  We  had  a  grand 


A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP.  221 

time  listening  to  Gambo's  stories.  The  boys  swore  that 
what  Gambo  said  was  all  true.  They  had  seen  the 
ghost  too. 

If  you  could  have  had  a  peep  at  us,  you  would  have 
seen  us  inside  of  our  fortress  by  the  side  of  a  bright  fire 
round  our  orala,  enjoying  and  warming  ourselves.  We 
were  perfectly  happy;  how  the  men  seemed  to  enjoy 
their  smoke  of  tobacco !  Malaouen  had  been  collecting 
some  palm  wine,  and  each  of  them  had  had  a  .good 
draught  of  the  beverage — the  empty  calabash  was  now 
lying  by  their  side. 

Our  nchombi  and  ncheri  were  getting  somewhat 
tame,  and  were  lying  on  the  ground  not  far  from  us. 
They  had  got  accustomed  to  the  fire  and  to  ourselves. 
Our  dogs  were  there  also ;  the  poor  fellows  had  had  a 
hard  fare  of  late. 

Each  one  of  us  had  one  hand  resting  on  his  gun,  which 
was  supported  by  a  forked  stick,  stuck  in  the  ground 
for  that  purpose,  and  our  hunting-bag  was  hung  by 
the  side  of  the  gun.  In  our  bags  we  had  each  of  us  a 
flask  full  of  powder,  two  or  three  scores  of  bullets,  and 
shot  of  two  or  three  sizes.  We  could  seize  all  these  in 
an  instant,  if  danger  were  to  threaten  us.  In  such  a  wild 
country  people  must  never  fancy  themselves  secure,  and 
must  be  always  ready  for  any  emergency,  for  any  fight- 
ing against  the  savages,  or  against  the  attacks  of  the 
ferocious  leopard;  and  I  got  so  accustomed  to  carry 
arms  that  I  never  left  my  gun  by  itself  if  I  went  any- 
where, however  short  the  distance  might  be;  my  re- 
volvers, of  course,  hanging  always  by  my  side. 

I  was  dressed  with  the  clothes  I  had  made  from  the 
skins  of  wild  animals.  I  wish  I  could  have  gone  into 


222  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

the  woods  like  my  men,  that  is  to  say,  with  almost  noth- 
ing to  cover  them. 

If  you  could  have  had  a  peep  at  us,  you  would  have 
seen  us  as  I  have  just  been  describing  ourselves  to  you  ; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  many  of  you  would  have  been 
glad  to  join  our  party.  I  love  to  look  back  upon  those 
days.  It  was  a  wild  life  indeed,  one  that  no  civilized 
man  had  led  before  me,  for  no  one  had  ever  gone  into 
such  .a  country. 

Friend  Malaouen  then  told  us  the  story  of  a  leopard, 
and  began  thus : 

"  When  I  was  a  boy  our  clan  lived  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rembo  Ngouyai,  a  river  which  flows  the  other  side 
of  the  Ashankolo  Mountains,  and  which  you  have  not 
seen,  Chaillee. 

"  The  village  where  my  parents  lived  was  very  large, 
and,  as  the  people  were  always  at  war,  it  was  fenced 
about.  While  there,  one  of  our  men  disappeared,  and 
was  changed  into  a  leopard.  From  that  time  people 
from  time  to  time  began  to  disappear;  they  were  car- 
ried away  by  that  leopard,  and  we  could  only  see  the 
clots  of  blood  left  behind,  but  could  not  trace  them  into 
the  woods.  We  were  afraid — for  nothing  is  so  terrible 
as  a  leopard  that  was  once  a  man.  ISTo  spear  can  go 
through  him,  no  trap  can  ever  catch  him,  and  woe  to  the 
man  who  ever  tries  to  face  the  beast ;"  and,  as  Malaouen 
said  this,  his  face  and  that  of  Querlaouen  and  Grambo 
contracted  themselves  with  fear ;  their  superstitions  were 
very  strong,  and  overcame  the  great  courage  they  pos- 
sessed. I  could  hear  distinctly  the  breathing  of  each 
man,  as  by  instinct  each  seized  his  gun  near  by. 

Then  Malaouen  continued : 


A  WOMAN  CHANGED  INTO  A  LEOPARD.  223 

"  One  day  several  women  had  gone  to  the  plantation 
with  me,  and  as  we  returned  to  the  village,  it  was  just 
getting  dark,  when  lo !  I  heard  a  tremendous,  a  fearful 
scream  from  the  woman  ahead  of  me,  and  I  had  just 
time  to  see  through  the  darkness  a  tremendous  leopard 
carrying  her  away  into  the  woods.  We  all  shouted,  but 
in  vain.  All  became  silent ;  the  leopard  had  disappear- 
ed with  its  prey.  Fear  seized  upon  us,  and  we  made  off 
for  the  village  with  the  utmost  speed. 

"  When  we  brought  the  news,  there  was  great  conster- 
nation and  wailing,  for  the  woman  who  had  been  taken 
away  was  very  beautiful 

"  The  next  day  we  danced  round  the  mbuiti,  and  the 
mbuiti  told  us  that  we  should  kill  the  leopard. 

"So  thirty  men  prepared  themselves  for  the  hunt 
We  cooked  the  war  dish,  bled  our  hands,  covered  our- 
selves with  our  war  fetiches,  marked  our  bodies  with  the 
ochre  of  the  Alumbi,  invoked  the  spirits  of  our  ancestors 
to  be  with  us,  and  departed. 

"The  day  before  some  people  came  to  the  place  where 
they  had  seen  the  leopard's  foot-prints,  and  not  far  off  was 
a  tremendous  jungle,  very  thick,  and  several  trees  had 
been  brought  down  by  a  tornado.  The  leopard's  lair  was 
there. 

"  At  last  we  came  round  the  lair.  Some  said  the  leop- 
ard was  not  there,  while  others  said  he  was.  In  the  mean 
time  we  shouted,  and  all  the  time  our  spears  were  in  read- 
iness, and  the  dogs  were  barking;  we  had  a  hope  that  it 
would  spring  on  one  of  them,  then  we  would  transpierce 
it  with  our  spears. 

"  When  a  man  who  said  the  leopard  was  not  there 
first  entered  the  jungle,  he  had  hardly  made  a  step  into 


224  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

it,  when  lo !  a  terrible  cry  sprung  from  among  us.  The 
leopard,  which  was  probably  watching,  with  a  tremendous 
leap  sprung  on  the  intruder,  his  claws  fastened  deeply  into 
his  shoulder,  and  the  teeth  of  his  powerful  jaws  holding 
the  neck  of  the  man,  who  uttered  a  fearful  shriek.  In 
less  time  than  I  can  tell  you  the  leopard  was  covered 
with  the  spears  that  had  gone  through  him  ;  he  dropped 
down  dead  with  the  man  whom  he  had  killed." 

They  all  shouted,  "Yes,  this  leopard  had  been  once  a 
man  who  was  possessed  with  witchcraft." 

My  breath  was  becoming  short  with  excitement,  and 
I  was  glad  when  the  story  was  over,  for  the  sweat  was 
fast  coming  down  from  my  face. 

We  turned  the  meat  on  the  other  side  on  the  orala, 
and  left  our  three  native  dogs,  Kambi,  Goa  and  Andeko, 
to  take  care  of  the  premises  (they  were  now  lying  by  the 
fires,  enjoying  the  heat  thoroughly),  and  then  we  went  to 
sleep. 

During  the  night  I  woke,  thinking  I  heard  a  boom- 
ing sound  like  that  of  heavy  footsteps,  when  the  dogs 
began  to  bark,  and  soon  I  heard  a  crash  through  the  for- 
est. It  was  a  herd  of  elephants  which  was  wandering 
not  far  from  us,  and  then  the  forest  resumed  its  wonted 
stillness. 

Now  I  had  remained  a  long  time  at  the  head-waters 
of  the  Ovenga — a  long  time  has  gone  by  since  the  last 
chapter.  Months  had  been  spent  in  that  region,  and  I 
thought  now  of  descending  the  river  to  visit  my  settle- 
ment of  Washington  on  the  sea-side.  It  was  high  time. 
I  was  still  suffering  from  fever  attacks,  and  had  not 
quinine  enough  left  for  a  large  dose. 

Not  only  was  I  sick,  but  also  poor  and  ragged.     My 


DESIRE  TO  RETURN.  225 

clothes  were  torn  and  patched,  and  I  looked  in  reality 
very  little  better  than  my  negro  friends.  My  stock  of 
powder  was  small,  my  bullets  were  nearly  exhausted, 
and  my  small  shot  were  almost  gone.  I  was  wearing  my 
last  pair  of  shoes.  My  goods  were  all  gone,  and  skins  of 
animals  made  a  great  part  of  my  garments. 

The  numerous  hardships  of  this  long  trip ;  the  sleeping 
night  after  night  in  wet  clothes;  the  tramping  through 
rain,  through  rivers,  and  under  the  hot  sun ;  the  sufferings 
from  the  intolerable  gouamba,  and  the  still  less  tolerable 
starvation;  the  attacks  of  fever  that  followed  one  upon 
the  other  —  all  these  had  done  their  work  upon  me. 
Food  had  been  scarce,  very  scarce  for  a  long  time,  and  I 
began  to  feel  as  if  I  wanted  a  long  rest.  I  wanted  to 
breathe  the  salt  air ;  I  wanted  to  see  the  deep  blue  sea, 
and  to  look  at  the  waves  which  came  in  heavy  surfs  upon 
the  beach ;  I  wanted  to  see  that  sea  on  which  I  expected 
to  sail  one  day  for  home. 

Do  you  not  think  that  I  deserved  to  go  back?  I  had 
worked  hard,  very  hard.  I  had  made  beautiful  collec- 
tions ;  and  I  was  to  carry  with  me  gorillas,  hippopotami, 
manitee,  nshiego-mbouve',  koo!6o-kamba,  no  end  of  birds 
(more  than  two  thousand),  a  great  many  monkeys,  and 
the  skins  of  several  hundreds  of  animals.  I  had  work- 
ed hard  to  kill  them,  and  worked  still  harder  to  stuff 
them,  hunting  them  during  the  day,  and  preparing  their 
skins  during  the  night.  So  I  told  friend  Quengueza  we 
must  go. 

I  called  the  Bakalai  together  and  told  friend  Obindji 

that  his  Ntangani  must  leave  him.    As  soon  as  I  said  this, 

the  old  chief  said,  "  Neshi  (no).  '  What  will  Obindji  do 

without  his  Ntangani  ?"     They  all  shouted,  "  What  shall 

K  2 


226  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

we  do  without  our  Ntangani?"  The  women  shouted, 
"  Chaillee,  you  must  not  go  !" 

Gambo,  Malaouen,  and  Querlaouen  made  long  faces 
and  were  sad,  for  we  had  a  real  affection  for  each  other, 
we  were  such  great  friends,  and  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ? 
We  had  braved  danger  together ;  we  had  gone  through 
hardships  and  starvation  together;  many  and  many  a 
night  had  we  spent  together  in  the  forest.  Of  any  wild 
animal  they  killed  I  was  sure  to  have  a  piece ;  the  best 
plantains  were  sure  to  be  mine;  the  nicest  fishes  their 
women  caught  they  brought  to  me.  How  kind  they 
were  to  me,  how  gentle !  No  children  could  have  been 
more  docile,  and  yet  how  fierce,  how  brave,  when  the 
day  of  battle  or  of  danger  came ! 

I  was  sorry  to  leave,  for  I  had  come  to  love  these  wild 
men  who  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before.  I  had 
also  a  kind  of  affection  for  the  country,  where,  in  the  dis- 
covery of  new  and  strange  animals,  I  had  enjoyed  one  of 
the  greatest  pleasures  a  naturalist  can  have.  The  rough 
life  was  forgotten  when  I  looked  at  my  precious  collec- 
tions, and  the  thought  of  a  gorilla  even  now  enabled  me 
to  shake  off  the  fever,  and  gave  strength  to  my  feeble 
limbs. 

Quengueza,  too,  was  tired  of  bush  life,  and  had  several 
times  sworn  that  he  had  never  known  a  man  like  me ; 
that  he  could  not  understand  what  was  moving  me ;  that 
I  had  a  heart  of  njego  (leopard).  His  Majesty  called 
those  Bakalais  his  bushmen,  and  to  whatever  village  he 
would  set  his  foot  he  had  a  right  at  once  to  at  least  a 
wife. 

Quengueza  is  the  best  friend  I  ever  had  in  Africa,  in- 
deed one  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had  anywhere.  This 


PARTING  DEMONSTRATIONS.  229 

old  and  powerful  chief— the  dread  in  his  younger  days 
of  all  the  tribes  around — the  man  whom  every  body  re- 
spected, the  man  whose  word  was  law,  was  gentle  with 
me,  was  kind  to  me,  and  never  did  a  single  mean  thing, 
never  took  any  advantage  of  me ;  and  whatever  I  said 
was  sure  to  be  attended  to,  if  possible. 

Going  to  a  hunt,  his  last  words  were  always  to  those 
who  went  with  me,  "  Take  care  of  my  white  man ;"  and, 
as  he  often  said,  if  he  had  been  a  young  man  he  would 
have  gone  with  us.  Every  fowl  or  goat  he  had  he  gave 
to  me,  every  bit  of  game  his  slaves  or  his  friends  killed 
for  him  was  mine,  and  when  we  travelled  in  company  we 
always  ate  together,  and  we  always  managed  to  make  a 
pleasant  table.  For  I  wanted  to  show  these  people  the 
difference  between  civilized  and  savage  life,  and  Quen- 
gueza  always  ate  with  a  fork  and  on  a  plate.  I  love  old 
Quengueza,  and  it  makes  me  happy  to  think  that  he 
knows  I  love  him. 

As  we  were  preparing  to  go,  my  Bakalai  friends  came 
in  with  presents  of  provisions.  Baskets  of  cassava, 
smoked-boar  hams,  smoked  fishes,  sweet  potatoes,  were 
brought  as  free-will  offerings. 

Malaouen,  Gambo,  and  Querlaouen  were  always  near 
me,  their  wives  came  every  day  to  see  me,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  always  around  me.  All  the  Bakalai  seemed  to 
me  to  be  kinder  than  ever. 

Good  Obindji  seemed  so  sorry !  The  evening  before 
my  departure  I  called  him  into  my  hut  and  gave  him  a 
nice  coat  and  a  red  cap,  which  I  had  kept  especially  for 
him,  and  to  his  head  wife  I  gave  a  necklace  of  large 
beads.  I  did  not  forget  friends  Malaouen,  Gambo,  and 
Querlaouen. 


230  WILD  LIFE  UNDER  THE  EQUATOR. 

When  the  morning  arrived,  our  canoes  were  on  the 
beach.  I  was  on  the  shore  ready  to  embark;  Obindji 
stood  near  me ;  every  woman  and  man  brought  to  me  a 
parting  gift.  I  was  very  much  touched  by  their  simple 
ways. 

When  all  was  ready  for  a  start,  Macondai,  my  boy, 
fired  a  gun,  and  then  I  swung  the  American  flag  to  the 
breeze,  the  first  time  that  it  or  any  other  flag  of  a  civilized 
nation  was  over  these  waters.  The  people  shouted,  and 
we  were  off;  and  as  we  glided  down,  and  before  we  disap- 
peared by  the  bend  of  the  river,  I  saw  Obindji's  hand 
waving  farewell  to  me. 

Presently  several  miles  down  the  stream  we  passed 
Querlaouen's  plantation.  He  and  his  kind  wife  and  their 
children  stood  on  the  shore  and  beckoned  me  to  stop. 
We  paddled  in,  and  the  good  fellow  silently  put  into  my 
canoe  another  smoked-boar  ham,  while  his  wife  gave  me 
a  great  basket  of  sweet  potatoes.  As  we  started  away 
again,  the  wife  shouted,  "  When  you  come  back  bring 
me  some  beads."  The  children  cried  out,  "  When  you 
come  back  bring  us  some  clothes."  But  old  Querlaouen 
stood  still  and  silent,  like  a  black  statue,  until,  by  a  turn 
of  the  river,  he  was  lost  to  our  sight. 

Quengueza  accompanied  me  to  Washington  and  Bia- 
gano,  and  all  of  the  Groumbi  people  that  had  canoes  accom- 
panied us,  beating  tam-tams,  singing  songs,  and  firing 
guns  as  we  descended  the  stream. 

Quengueza  was  bringing  back  safely  to  Eanpano  his 
friend  Chaillee.  At  last  we  reached  the  place  where  the 
old  bamboo  house  was,  and  the  whole  population  turned 
out  to  receive  me,  headed  by  King  Eanpano  and  old 
Rinkimongani,  my  housekeeper,  and  brother  to  the 


AU  REVOIR.  231 

King.  I  found  my  house  undisturbed,  all  my  valuables 
and  goods  safe,  and  my  live  stock  on  hand  and  in  good 
condition,  and  made  old  Einkimongani  very  proud  by 
expressing  my  satisfaction.  He  said,  "Now  you  tell  me 
what  I  stole  ?"  And  King  Eanpano  exclaimed,  "  Ah !  we 
don't  steal  from  our  white  man.  We  are  people,  we  have 
a  heart  that  feels,  we  love  our  white  man,  for  he  is  the 
first  that  ever  came  to  live  among  us." 

And  now  I  must  say  good-by  again  to  you ;  and  I 
wish  that,  in  reading  this  book,  you  may  think  that  you 
have  been  travelling  with  me  for  a  while  in  the  great 
forests  of  the  Equatorial  regions  of  Africa.  I  have  many 
more  things  to  say  to  you,  but  will  wait  for  another  year 
before  I  do  so. 

I  hope  that  I  have  been  able  to  instruct  as  well  as  to 
amuse  you,  and  that,  as  the  years  go  by,  and  you  become 
men  and  women,  you  may  remember  some  of  the  stories 
I  have  told  you.  Some  of  you,  no  doubt,  have  seen  me, 
while  others  do  not  know  me.  My  great  wish  is  that 
you  may  think  kindly  of  me,  and  remember  him  who 
will  always  be  happy  to  call  himself  the  boys'  and  girls' 
friend. 


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Of  his  early  explorations  in  Africa  Du 
Chaillu  gave  this  account  nine  years 
ago  in  an  Interview:  "In  1855,  when  I 
was  only  20  years  old,  I  visited  Africa 
for  the  first  time.  But  few  white  men 
had  passed  inland  from  the  west  coast 
beyond  hailing  distance  of  their  boats 
by  the  shore.  Xo  one  had  attempted  to 
explore  the  interior.  Although  but  a 
boy,  I  set  o'ji  alone  toward  the  center 
of  the  continent.  I  had  no  army  to  de- 
fend me  against  the  savage  tribes.  I 
•ad  to  depend  on  rriy  own  personal  re- 

uvces  and.  tact.     My  thoughtlessness, 

,rhaps,  aided  me.  At  seventeen  we  do 
not  care  much  for  prevision.  I  was  an 
enthusiastic  naturalist.  That  drew  me 
to  Africa.  I  longed  to  know  more  of 
the  flora  and  fauna  of  equatorial  Affica. 

"I  remained  in  Africa  tjiat  time  three 
years.  I  traveled  in  a  zigzag  course 
some  8000  miles.  I  penetrated  about  SOO 
miles  from  the  sea.  I  explored  the 
country  on  my  route  from  about  two 
degrees  south  of  the  equator  to  three 
degrees  north  of  it.  I  discovered  the 
great  equatorial  forests,  concerning  the 
finding  of  which  much  praise  was  af- 
terward claimed  for  others.  I  discov- 
ered the  gorilla,  never  before  seen  by  a 
white  man,  and  three  other  species  of 
man-apes.  I  found  many  hitherto  un- 
known species  of  birds,  quadrupeds  and 
ninnts  T  discovered  rare  and  beauti- 


ble  orchid   to-day  is   that  named  aft 
me. 

"When  I  returned  to  New  York  I  w 
laughed  at.  I  was  too  young,  they  sa; 
to  have  seen  and  to  have  done  what 
asserted.  In  spite-of  the  skeletons  of  i 
gorillas  rnd  the  specimens  of  the  bir 
and  the  plants  I  brought  with  me 
could  not  be  believed*  Some  clever  shoi 
man  had  imposed  on  me,  the  criti 
said. 

"So  I  went  to  Africa  again.  This  tin 
I  made  an  extended  trip  into  the  i; 
terior.  J  discovered  the  great  equator! 
plateau  of  which  we  heard  so  much 
later  years.  I  found  there  the  pvgmii 
and  the  cannibals.  I  did  not  merely  s< 
those  people  or  fight  them.  I  mat 
friends  with  them,  I  learned  their  lai 
guage  and  I  lived  m.  1  WE 

compelled  to  do  ;tiis.  i  was  alo<n<>.  an 
only  by  their  good-will  could  I  proccei 
I  discovered,  thirty-five  different  trib< 
of  men.  I  gained  their  favor  and  the 
aided  me  and  gave  me  men  to  carry  m 
property.  It  is  necessary  to  the  ej 
plorer  to  have  the  friendship  of  th 
people  among  whom  he  journeys.  Whil 
there  is  not  a  perceptible  pathwa 
through  the  forests  of  Africa,  one  ca 
travel  from  the  west  coast  to  the  eas 
and  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to.  Al 
giers  by  paths  comparatively  easy  t 
traverse  if  he  has  only  the  favor  an 
guidance  of  the  natives.  This  I  man 
aged  to  gain. 

"When  I  came  back  I  brought  wit 
me  many  specimens  of  the  strang 
things  I  had  seen.  I  had  some  of  th 
curiously  fashioned.weapons  of  the  can 
nibals.  I  had  objects  from  the  pygm 
villages.  I  wrote  of  these  and  was  ridi 
culed.  Especially  were  my  statement 
about  the  pygmies  derided.  The  mos 
charitable  of  my  critics  said  I  had  prob 
ably  seen  a  small  man.  In  1876  I  pub 
ished  an  account  of  my  discoveries  i: 
Ashango  Land.  I  told  of  the  pygmie 
and  gave  illustrations  of  their  villages 
No  one  but  myself  can  rightly  claim  th 
credit  of  having  discovered  the  pygmie 
and  the  other  strange  tribes  in  the  in 
terior  of  equatorial  Africa. 

"From  the  tropic  I  went  to  the  arcti 

:one.     I  visited  Sweden,  Norway,  Lap 

and,   Finland,   Iceland.     I     discoveret 

much.      I    published    the  result  of  m; 

work.  "The  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,' 

and   I  was   the   first  to  give  that  titl. 

o   the   northland.     I  found   in   Icelan< 

our  different   manuscripts  giving    ac 

counts    in    plain,    simple  language     o 

he  vikings'  journeys  to  America.  Thej 

.ell  how  they  took  away  several  barrel; 

|  of    grapes,    and   for   that   reason     the? 

I  called   the   new  land  'Wineland.'  " 

I     Among     Du     Chaillu's     best    knowt 

books   are   "Explorations  and     Adven 

tures   in    Equatorial    Africa,"   "A  Jour 

ney  to  Ashango  Land."  "Stories  of  tru 

GoVilla  Country."  "Wild  Life  Under  th< 

i  Equator."    "Lost   in   the  Jungle."    "Mj 

!  Apingi    Kingdom."    "The    Country     o1 

i  the    Dwarfs"    and   "The  Land   of     th< 


